BERLIN — Thales Alenia Space will build the Eutelsat W6A satellite in time for a launch in the summer 2012 under a contract announced June 9 by Paris-based Eutelsat.
W6A, expected to weigh some 5,000 kilograms at launch, will carry 40 Ku-band transponders. Once in orbit, it will provide Eutelsat with a 50 percent increase in Ku-band capacity at the company’s 21.5 degrees east longitude orbital slot. It will replace the W6 satellite currently there and provide corporate and government services for customers in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. W6 was launched in 1999.
W6A, a Spacebus C3 platform, is expected to provide 12 kilowatts of power at the end of its 15-year service life.
