BSE / Yuri 1

BSE, also known as Yuri 1, is the first launch in a series of Japanese direct broadcast satellites known as BS (Broadcasting Satellite) or Yuri. Japanese satellite television, which uses an analog format, started with test broadcasts carried out by the semi-governmental NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) in 1984. At the time, direct satellite TV reception (DTH) was obtainable with a small parabolic antenna 40 cm to 60 cm in diameter in all areas of Japan when broadcast from a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) at 110 degrees east longitude. All BS satellites had the same basic configuration: 3-axis stabilization of a rectangular satellite bus with two elongated solar arrays. After the first successful test of satellite broadcasting with a TV signal, many Japanese producers of consumer electronics began to deliver a range of equipment with built-in satellite receivers for the local consumer market. This included the Satellaview satellite modem peripheral for Nintendo's Super Famicom system and satellite television and satellite radio services for the Japanese market. Eventually, the satellites of the BS series were replaced by the more advanced B-Sat series.