The SES-15 satellite has arrived at the European space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, in preparation for its launch by a Soyuz vehicle this April.
The satellite is the first of three hybrid wide beam and HTS satellites, delivering global coverage for major global in-flight connectivity providers who have made significant, long-term pre-commitments. The satellite will also enable other traffic intensive data applications such as government, VSAT and maritime.
The all-electric satellite will operate at the new orbital position of 129 degrees west and will serve North America, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.
Designed and manufactured by Boeing, the SES-15 will carry a hybrid payload, with additional Ku-band wide beams and Ku- as well as Ka-band High Throughput Satellite (HTS) capability.
The satellite will be equipped with an electric propulsion system for orbit-raising and in-orbit manoeuvres, and will also carry Wide Area Augmentation Systems (WAAS), a US government-funded hosted payload to augment its global positioning system.
SES-15 is the first SES hybrid satellite to be launched and is equipped with 16 Ku-band transponders (36MHz equivalent) as well as a 10 GHz high throughput payload.
