SES taps Boeing to build all-electric propulsion satellite
Image Credit: Boeing
Aerospace giant Boeing has been tapped by SES, a Luxembourg-based company to produce the third all electric propulsion satellite. Based on the 702SP (small platform) satellite, the new spacecraft, dubbed SES-15, will provide in-flight entertainment and WiFi services to customers located in North and Central America as well as across the Caribbean.
“The procurement of SES-15 will strengthen our position in the important North American government and mobility markets,” said Martin Halliwell, chief technical officer, SES. “The hybrid payload with wide beams and high throughput capacity gives aeronautical, maritime and governmental customers unprecedented flexibility to develop next generation data services.”
SES-15 will be the 12th satellite ordered from Boeing and will be constructed in El Segundo, California. If everything goes according to plan, it will be delivered in 2017 and will operate in both the Ku- and Ka-bands.
“We designed the 702SP satellite to meet our customer’s mission requirements as efficiently as possible by reducing the spacecraft mass to take advantage of low cost launch vehicles while maximizing the revenue-generating capability of the payload,” said Mark Spiwak, president, Boeing Satellite Systems International, Inc.
Boeing customizes the 702 bus per the customer’s requirements and is based on a modular design that normally has more than 70 transponders. The 702 has been made to fly on an array of launch vehicles which include United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV and Atlas V family of boosters, SpaceX’s Falcon 9, Arianespace’s Ariane 5, International Launch Services Proton and Sea Launch’s Zenit 3SL.
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Jason Rhian
Jason Rhian spent several years honing his skills with internships at NASA, the National Space Society and other organizations. He has provided content for outlets such as: Aviation Week & Space Technology, Space.com, The Mars Society and Universe Today.
