Hot Bird
fleet of communications satellites, typically operating at 13° East
Hot Bird (also styled Hotbird) is a group of satellites operated by Eutelsat, located at 13°E over the equator (orbital position) and with a transmitting footprint over Asia, Europe, North Africa, Americas and the Middle East.
Only digital radio and television channels are transmitted by the Hot Bird constellation, both free-to-air and encrypted. In addition there are a few interactive and IP services. The satellites currently operate at 13° East and are numbered 13B, 13E and 13G. The satellites have been broadcasting digital-only since TV5Monde switched off its analogue signal in 2010.
List of satellites
Satellite details
Hot Bird 1
Hot Bird 1 was launched by Ariane 44LP on 28 March 1995. The 13° east slot predates the launch, with Eutelsat I F-1 having been located there as early as 1983, and Eutelsat II F-1 having also served time at the location. It has reached end-of-life.
Hot Bird 3
Hot Bird 3 was launched by Ariane 44LP on 2 September 1997 and intended to be moved to 10°E to become Eurobird 10. During the drift from 13°E to 10°E, the satellite suffered loss of power from one solar array. It was nevertheless successfully moved to 10°E, but could only operate at a reduced capacity.
The public source identifies “Hot Bird” as fleet of communications satellites, typically operating at 13° East. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Bird, fleet and communications.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Hot Bird”, the useful work is to connect “fleet of communications satellites, typically operating at 13° East” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1991147. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2010, 1995, 1983 and 1997.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
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The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Hot Bird”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Hot Bird primary sources, Hot Bird archive and Bird research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Hot Bird” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.