Eutelsat 25B/Es’hail 1 reaches geostationary orbit

Eutelsat Communications’ and Es’hailSat’s jointly owned Eutelsat 25B/Es’hail 1 satellite has now reached geostationary orbit.

The satellite, which launched on August 29, has had its solar arrays and communications antennas successfully deployed and its payload was activated on September 8, Eutelsat confirmed.

Eutelsat 25B/Es’hail 1 is now undergoing a series of in-orbit tests managed by Eutelsat from its Rambouillet teleport, near Paris.

Eutelsat and Es’hailSat had scheduled to bring the satellite into service at 25.5° East at the end of October. The satellite will serve broadcasters, businesses and public agencies in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia via capacity in the Ku and Ka-bands.

It will replace the Eutelsat 25C satellite and is designed to provide superior geographic coverage and increased capacity to “address dynamically expanding digital markets.”