SES-17 Satellite to Launch on 22 October

Luxembourg satellite company SES S.A. has announced that the new SES-17 satellite is launching on 22 October 2021.

SES-17 has completed its performance tests at the Thales Alenia Space facility in Cannes, France and is being prepared for shipment to Arianespace’s Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana on 22 September 2021. The spacecraft is scheduled to be launched by Arianespace, using an Ariane 5 vehicle on 22 October 2021.

SES-17 is a very high-throughput satellite in geosynchronous orbit, built to serve North America, South America, the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean with Ka-band coverage. It is designed to address demands for high-speed and flexible data connectivity across aviation, maritime, enterprise and government segments, advancing the region’s digitalisation objectives and helping to bridge the digital divide.

SES-17 features almost 200 spot beams, the power of which can be dynamically adjusted in step with customers’ changing requirements. It is also the Luxembourg company's first satellite to have a totally digital payload, powered by an advanced digital transparent processor (DTP).

For commercial aviation, SES has partnered with its anchor customer, Thales Avionics.