Astra 4A is one of the Astra communications satellites owned and operated by SES at the Astra 5°E orbital slot providing digital television and radio broadcasts, data, and interactive services to Nordic countries, eastern Europe and sub-Saharan Africa in the 11.70 GHz-12.75 GHz range of the Ku band and 18.8 GHz-21.75 GHz range of the Ka band.
The satellite was launched in November 2007 as Sirius 4 by SES Sirius. At that time, SES owned a 75% shareholding in SES Sirius, which was increased to 90% in 2008 and to 100% in March 2010. In June 2010, the affiliate company was renamed SES Astra (then a subsidiary company of SES) and the Sirius 4 satellite was renamed Astra 4A.
Astra 4A provides three Ku band broadcast beams - the Nordic beam to Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland, the European beam to Eastern European and Baltic countries including Belarus, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Russia and Ukraine, and the African beam to sub-Saharan Africa.
Reception is possible on dishes as small as 60 cm from all three beams, with reception from the European beam across Europe and from the African beam across sub-Saharan across Africa with dishes of 90 cm-120 cm.
Everybody holds the future
Everybody holds the world
Do you ever wonder, baby?
What this is all about
Do you ever question, girl?
The things you tend to doubt
Well, there's no reply
It's better off to die
When you're feeling all alone
Do you hear the answer baby
When you're sitting on the throne
Everybody holds the future
Everybody holds the world
You got a penny in your pocket, baby
A penny in your mind
You hope someone will stop it, girl
You hope to avoid the crime
Well, you've never been so lonely, baby
You've never been so blue
You can't afford the doctor, girl
So what you gonna do
Do you feel the lonesome anger, baby
When you're feeling all alone, yeah!
Do you feel the lonesome anger, baby
She said, baby, that's something I've always known
She said, baby, that's something you ought to know
Everybody holds the future