Eutelsat has announced the successful launch of its latest satellite, with EUTELSAT 10B expected to deliver additional Ku-band capacity to maritime and aero customers once operational.
The satellite was launched into geostationary (GEO) orbit by SpaceX using a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Separation and systems check of the all-electric satellite was successfully completed over a period of approximately 3 hours.
Built by Thales Alenia Space, EUTELSAT 10B is carrying two multi-beam HTS Ku-band payloads: a high-capacity payload, covering the North Atlantic corridor, Europe, the Mediterranean basin and the Middle East, and a second payload to extend coverage across the Atlantic Ocean, Africa and the Indian Ocean.
The satellite’s HTS payloads will be able to process more than 50 GHz of bandwidth, offering a throughput of approximately 35 Gbps.
The 10° East location that the satellite will occupy has been operated by Eutelsat since 1987. The EUTELSAT 10B satellite specifically carries two widebeam payloads in C-band and in Ku-band to ensure continuity of operations in place of the EUTELSAT 10A satellite, whose operational life is scheduled to end in 2023.
“Congratulations to all the teams, from Thales Alenia Space to SpaceX, and the dedicated Eutelsat launch campaign team, involved in this successful launch. EUTELSAT 10B satellite boosts our global connectivity services with High Throughput capacity, meeting increasing in-flight and maritime demand,” said Eva Berneke, Eutelsat Chief Executive Officer.
