Ekspress (satellite bus)


The Ekspress is a highly flexible satellite bus designed and manufactured by ISS Reshetnev. It is an unpressurized bus originally designed for GEO, but that has been adapted for medium Earth orbit and to highly elliptical orbit. It has different versions and has been used from civilian communications to satellite navigation.

Platform variations

The Ekspress bus has two main platforms: the 1000 light to medium version and the 2000, for heavy birds. There was a project for a third platform, the 4000, but it has never been used, yet.

Ekspress-1000 Series

The Ekspress-1000 in its different variations offers an platform for small to medium satellites. It is a direct to GEO bus for total spacecraft weights from to and having a power production from 3 kW to 8 kW with a life expectancy of 15 years. It is designed for directly stacking up to 3 of the smallest version or 2 of the bigger ones.
The Ekspress-2000 is the fruits of the collaboration with Thales Alenia Space and their Spacebus 4000 experience with the Ekspress-1000H. It is a big platform for spacecraft massing up to, with space for of payload and up to 14 kW of power generation and 7.5 kW of heat dissipation. It is, as the rest of the family, a direct to GEO bus and given its size it is not designed to be stacked. It has an expected design life of 15 years.

Ekspress-4000 Series

The Ekspress-4000 is a collaboration with Thales Alenia Space to mix the best elements of the Ekspress-2000 with the Spacebus 4000. It would be a direct to GEO platform for spacecrafts massing up to and having a power production of 14 kW with a life expectancy of 15 years. This would enable more than 60 transponders of payload.
It would lack any orbit raising propulsion, but would keep the electric propulsion thrusters supplied by OKB Fakel for station keeping. It would also use the Russian solar panels and have versions designed for highly elliptical orbit like Molniya orbit so important for the northerner regions of Russia.
During 2009, the plan was to start with a series of satellites in HEO orbits for the Russian government, called Ekspress-RV Экспресс-РВ). It would be a constellation of three on orbit spacecraft with a fourth backup on Earth, but no further development have been communicated. Nor any of the expected foreign sales were closed.

List of satellites

The Ekspress bus has seen many successes, both for the commercial market and the military programs. Here is a list of all known orders as of July 2016.
SatelliteBusPayloadOrderLaunchLaunch VehicleIntended OrbitLaunch ResultLaunch WeightStatusRemarks
Kosmos 2471 Ekspress-1000K2011-02-26Soyuz-2.1b/Fregat-MMEOFirst launch of third generation GLONASS.
Luch 5AEkspress-1000A2011-12-11Proton-M/Briz-MGEOLaunched along AMOS-5.
AMOS-5Ekspress-1000H20082011-12-11Proton-M/Briz-MGEOLaunched along Luch 5A.
Telkom-3Ekspress-1000H20092012-08-06Proton-M/Briz-MGEOStranded in unusable orbit.
Luch 5BEkspress-1000AM2012-11-02Proton-M/Briz-MGEOLaunched along Yamal-300K.
Yamal-300KEkspress-1000HTA20092012-11-02Proton-M/Briz-MGEOLaunched along Luch 5B.
Ekspress AM5Ekspress-200020092013-12-26Proton-M/Briz-MGEO
Ekspress AT1Ekspress-1000H20102014-03-15Proton-M/Briz-MGEOLaunched along Ekspress AT2.
Ekspress AT2Ekspress-1000K20102014-03-15Proton-M/Briz-MGEOLaunched along Ekspress AT1.
Luch 5VEkspress-1000A2014-04-28Proton-M/Briz-MGEOLaunched along KazSat-3.
KazSat-3Ekspress-1000HTA20112014-04-28Proton-M/Briz-MGEOLaunched along Luch 5V.
Luch/Olimp-K 1Unknown2014-09-27Proton-M/Briz-MGEO
Ekspress AM6 Ekspress-200020092014-10-21Proton-M/Briz-MGEOReached its destination using its own propulsion.
Kosmos 2501 Ekspress-1000K2014-11-30Soyuz-2.1b/Fregat-MMEO
Yamal-401Ekspress-200020102014-12-15Proton-M/Briz-MGEO
Ekspress AM8Ekspress-1000HTB20102015-09-14Proton-M/Blok DM-03GEO
Blagovest 1 Ekspress-20002011Proton-M/Briz-MGEO
Blagovest 2 Ekspress-2000Proton-M/Briz-MGEO
Blagovest 3 Ekspress-2000Proton-M/Briz-MGEO
Blagovest 4 Ekspress-2000Proton-M/Briz-MGEO
Kosmos 2xxx Ekspress-1000ASoyuz-2.1b/Fregat-MMEO
Yamal-601Ekspress-20002015Proton-M/Briz-MGEO
Kosmos 2xxx Ekspress-1000ASoyuz-2.1b/Fregat-MMEO
Ekspress 80Ekspress-1000H20162020-07-30Proton-M / Briz-MGEO
Kosmos 2xxx Ekspress-1000ASoyuz-2.1b/Fregat-MMEO
Ekspress 103Ekspress-1000H20162020-07-30Proton-M / Briz-MGEO
Kosmos 2xxx Ekspress-1000KSoyuz-2.1b/Fregat-MMEO
Kosmos 2xxx Ekspress-1000ASoyuz-2.1b/Fregat-MMEO
Kosmos 2xxx Ekspress-1000KProton-M/Blok DM-03MEO
Kosmos 2xxx Ekspress-1000KProton-M/Blok DM-03MEO
Kosmos 2xxx Ekspress-1000KProton-M/Blok DM-03MEO
Yenisey A1 Ekspress-2000Proton-M/Briz-MGEO
Kosmos 2xxx Ekspress-1000KProton-M/Blok DM-03MEO
Kosmos 2xxx Ekspress-1000KProton-M/Blok DM-03MEO
Kosmos 2xxx Ekspress-1000KProton-M/Blok DM-03MEO
Kosmos 2xxx Ekspress-1000ASoyuz-2.1b/Fregat-MMEO
Kosmos 2xxx Ekspress-1000KSoyuz-2.1b/Fregat-MMEO
Kosmos 2xxx Ekspress-1000KSoyuz-2.1b/Fregat-MMEO
Lybid 1Ekspress-1000T2010Zenit-3FGEOSatellite us built and in storage. Future uncertain due to Ukraine-Russia crisis.
Armenian ComSatEkspress-1000H2012
Zohreh 1Ekspress-1000K2005Program cancelled.
Zohreh 2Ekspress-1000K2005Program cancelled.
AOneSat 1Ekspress-1000H20132016Satellite cancelled.