Space Systems/Loral (SSL), a leading provider of commercial satellites, today announced today announced that it has been selected to provide a communications satellite to Intelsat S.A., the world’s leading provider of satellite services. With expansive coverage of the Western hemisphere Intelsat 34 is the 50th satellite SSL will provide to Intelsat.
“Our four decade history with Intelsat goes back to some of the earliest commercial satellites ever built,” said John Celli, president of SSL. “Over the years we have developed a highly effective process of working together and an excellent spirit of collaboration. I would like to thank Intelsat for its continued confidence in SSL as a responsive supplier that makes a commitment with every contract to provide the best possible quality and value.”
Intelsat 34 will serve the role originally intended for Intelsat 27. This includes providing capacity to meet the growing needs of Latin American media customers, as well as broadband for aeronautical companies serving the busy North Atlantic routes.
Scheduled for launch in 2015, Intelsat 34 will replace Intelsat 805 and Galaxy 11 at 304.5 degrees East longitude. Intelsat 34 is designed to deliver service for 15 years or longer.
“SSL has delivered to Intelsat some of the world’s most reliable and advanced satellites, enabling our customers to expand their businesses and reach new frontiers,” said Thierry Guillemin, EVP and CTO of Intelsat. “This 50th spacecraft is an important milestone for Intelsat and SSL, and we look forward to another successful program.”
Intelsat 34 is based on the SSL 1300 space-proven platform, which has the flexibility to support a broad range of applications and technology advances, including electric propulsion. SSL’s heritage electric propulsion system, the SPT-100, significantly reduces the propellant mass needed to operate a satellite. This enables more payload mass to be launched on the same size launch vehicle or reduced launch mass, which allows for lower price launch solutions.
SSL first used electric propulsion on a geostationary communications satellite in 2004. Intelsat 34 will be the 24th satellite constructed by SSL that includes electric propulsion. With more than 25,000 hours of on orbit operation, all SPT-100 subsystems launched are operating nominally.
