Hylas

In classical mythology, Hylas (Greek: Ὕλας') was a youth who served as Heracles' companion and lover (Roman Hercules). His abduction by water nymphs was a theme of ancient art, and has been an enduring subject for Western art in the classical tradition.

Genealogy

In Greek mythology, Hylas was the son of King Theiodamas of the Dryopians. Roman sources such as Ovid state that Hylas' father was Hercules and his mother was the nymph Melite (Metamorphoses, 9.279), or that his mother was the wife of Theiodamas, whose adulterous affair with Heracles caused the war between him and her husband.

After Heracles killed Theiodamas in battle, he took on Hylas as arms bearer and taught him to be a warrior. The poet Theocritus (about 300 BC) wrote about the love between Heracles and Hylas: "We are not the first mortals to see beauty in what is beautiful. No, even Amphitryon's bronze-hearted son, who defeated the savage Nemean lion, loved a boy—charming Hylas, whose hair hung down in curls. And like a father with a dear son he taught him all the things which had made him a mighty man, and famous."

HYLAS-1

HYLAS (or HYLAS-1) is a British satellite in geostationary orbit. HYLAS, which is an acronym for Highly Adaptable Satellite, is a communications satellite and was launched by the European Ariane 5 launch vehicle from the Guyana Space Centre at Kourou in French Guyana. It is located at the orbital location of 33.5 degrees west and will provide new and innovative services including High Definition Television (HDTV) and interactive satellite delivered broadband services. The satellite will help address the issue of poor broadband coverage in many parts of Europe which have less developed ground infrastructure.

Construction

HYLAS was constructed by EADS Astrium for the UK telecommunications company Avanti Communications Plc. Development of the satellite was supported by a £23m investment from the British National Space Centre (BNSC).

Launch

Avanti purchased for HYLAS a launch to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) on a Falcon 9 launch vehicle. The purchase, in September 2007, made Avanti the first customer to purchase a commercial geostationary launch from SpaceX. In July 2009 Arianespace announced that HYLAS would instead be launched in 2010, "using an Ariane 5 or Soyuz launcher" from Arianespace. Avanti had previously criticized Arianespace as being overly expensive, but a move to Arianespace was motivated by prospective customers' concerns about launch risks associated with Falcon 9. Also, additional financial assets became available, including 10.7 million pounds from British contributions ESA's Artes telecommunications development program.

HYLAS 2

HYLAS 2 is a geostationary High throughput satellite operated by Avanti Communications. HYLAS, an acronym for Highly Adaptable Satellite, was launched on an Ariane 5 from Guyana Space Centre at Kourou, French Guyana, on August 2, 2012.

Construction

HYLAS 2 was constructed by Orbital Sciences Corporation for the UK telecommunications company Avanti Communications Plc.

Features

HYLAS 2 features 4 active and 6 gateway Ka beams covering Northern and Southern Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. HYLAS 2 is also equipped with steerable spot-beams to direct extra capacity in required areas when needed.

See also

References