Eutelsat’s 139W A retired
April 22, 2026
By Chris Forrester
Eutelsat’s 139 West A has been retired to a ‘graveyard’ orbit. The satellite provided Eutelsat with an impressive 22 years of service despite its initial expected life of nearer 12-15 years.
The EADS Astrium-built craft first entered service in March 2004 as Eutelsat W3A, and at the time was the operator’s most powerful satellite. W3A morphed into its 7 degrees East position serving the Mid-east, Africa and parts of Asia. It was launched on a Russian Proton M rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome.
As 139 West A it had served the US and recently in an inclined orbit suitable for data transfer.
“Maintaining a GEO satellite in service for more than 22 years with such outstanding availability is no accident. It speaks directly to the skill, commitment and pride of Eutelsat’s operations teams, whose careful stewardship allowed this spacecraft to deliver reliable service far beyond expectations,” commented Daniel Kroboth, vice president of Satellite Operations at Eutelsat.
It saw service beaming European Broadcasting Union’s Eurovision system as well as Digiturk (until 2020).