Nahuel 1A

Nahuel 1A was a Spacebus 2000NG satellite manufactured Dornier Satellitensysteme as prime contractor with Aérospatiale of Cannes-Mandelieu supplying the bus. It was launched on January 30, 1997 by an Ariane 44L launcher along companion GE-2. The satellite was located in the 71.8 degrees West slot. It was operated by Nahuelsat S.A., the first satellite operator of Argentina from its ground station in Benavidez, province of Buenos Aires. It was transferred in 2006 ARSAT S.A., along all other Nahuelsat S.A. assets. Satellite mass was 1,790 kg (3,950 lb) wet, 828 kg (1,825 lb) dry with a nominal lifetime of 12.33 years. It had eighteen 54 MHz transponders implemented with 55W TWTAs in three K_u band and extended K_u band coverages. Thus, it had 27 transponder equivalent or 972 MHz of K_u Band bandwidth.

It was successfully reorbited in June 2010, when most of the on-board propellant depleted, using the remaining propellant and blowdown helium still stored in the propellant tanks.

In the early 1990s, the Argentine government gave the monopoly for K_u band satellite broadcasting to Nahuelsat S.A. a consortium of European companies. The company had the obligation of placing a communications satellite on the geosynchronous orbit slot 71.8 West, the only one assigned to the country by ITU to keep the slot rights before they lapsed. The company leased two satellites (Anik C1 and later Anik C2) to hold the orbital rights. In the mean time, they ordered a satellite, plus a backup, and a ground station from Dornier Satellitensysteme, which acted as program prime.