Eutelsat Communications has announced that the EUTELSAT 10B satellite was successfully launched into Geostationary Transfer Orbit by American space launch provider SpaceX using a Falcon 9 expendable rocket that lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA on November 22nd. The separation of the all-electric satellite occurred after a 37-minute flight and the spacecraft systems checkout was then successfully completed over a period of approximately 3 hours.
Built by Thales Alenia Space, EUTELSAT 10B is an all-electric satellite based on the Spacebus NEO platform. The satellite embarks a powerful 5th generation digital transparent processor, offering capacity allocation flexibility and an optimal spectrum use.
Responding to strong growth in demand for mobile connectivity, 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, offering significant throughput in the busiest air and sea traffic zones, 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.
Firm multi-year capacity commitments have already been secured with several leading in-flight connectivity service providers, representing more than one third of the incremental HTS capacity. These partners will rely on EUTELSAT 10B to provide airlines with in-flight connectivity services. The 10° East location that EUTELSAT 10B will occupy has been operated by Eutelsat since 1987 and provides unrivalled coverage in the heart of the European, Middle Eastern and African regions. The EUTELSAT 10B satellite specifically carries two widebeam payloads in C-band and in Ku-band to ensure continuity of the missions of the EUTELSAT 10A satellite, whose operational life is scheduled to end in 2023.
Eva Berneke, Eutelsat Chief Executive Officer, said: “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.”
Pascal Homsy, Eutelsat Chief Technical Officer, added: “This is the fourth launch for Eutelsat in just under three consecutive months, quite a remarkable and unequalled technical achievement; congratulations to all! EUTELSAT 10B’s Ku-band payload complements the Ka-band of the EUTELSAT KONNECT VHTS satellite, launched in September 2022, reflecting our ability to serve our customers in both Ka- and Ku-bands with the best-in-class space assets.
