The KA-SAT satellite of Eutelsat Communications’ (Euronext Paris: ETL) was flown into the Baikonour Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on November 19 and is now in final stages of readiness for launch by a Proton rocket on December 20.
Breaking new barriers in capacity
Built for Eutelsat by Astrium, and weighing in at 6.1 tonnes, KA-SAT will be the cornerstone of a new European infrastructure which includes eight main gateways and two back-up gateways located across Europe and connected to the Internet by a fibre backbone ring. With its total capacity of more than 70 Gbps ranking it as the world’s most powerful spacecraft, Europe’s first High-Throughput Satellite (HTS) will usher in a new era of competitively-priced satellite-delivered services. From direct Internet access, to enterprise networks and local broadcasting, it will tap into some of the fastest-growing and most-promising applications in the commercial satellite sector.
Pushing back the boundaries of satellite-based digital services
With ubiquitous coverage of Europe and the Mediterranean Basin, the KA-SAT programme represents a versatile platform for data communications, local and regional broadcasting, IPTV and emerging video applications needing ultra high-bit rates such as HD digital cinema. It will also provide a powerful new infrastructure to support the take-up of Eutelsat’s Tooway™ broadband service. Delivery speeds of Tooway™ will be boosted to 10 Mbps download and 4 Mbps upload, meeting expectations of current and future domestic Internet users and making a core contribution to bridging the digital divide for consumers and also businesses beyond range of terrestrial broadband.
“KA-SAT’s multi-spotbeam design, use of Ka-band frequencies and proven systems deployed in North America by our technology partner, ViaSat, will transform the volume of bandwidth available through a single satellite and the scope and economics for new services,” said Michel de Rosen, Eutelsat’s CEO. “With this pan-European infrastructure complementing our Ku-band resources that will be progressively expanded and modernised with six new satellites, Eutelsat is uniquely positioned to further push back the boundaries of satellite-delivered services across the markets we serve.”
* Photo material available on request.
