SES to launch new joint satellite with EchoStar

Satellite operator SES has extended its strategic partnership with EchoStar to launch a new satellite, known as SES-11/EchoStar 105, at the 105° West position. 

SES-11 will be manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space based on the highly reliable Eurostar E3000 platform. The satellite will be launched into space in Q4 2016.

The satellite will carry 24 Ku-band and 24 C-band transponders. The spacecraft’s Ku-band capacity will replace the existing SES satellite AMC-15 at 105° West, an orbital position where EchoStar has been SES’s anchor customer since 2006. The spacecraft’s C-band capacity will also allow SES to provide replacement capacity for AMC-18 at 105 West.

“SES-11 is the sixth large satellite contract with our longstanding partner EchoStar. The new spacecraft will offer comprehensive coverage of the Americas, including Hawaii, Mexico, and the Caribbean, from a well-established orbital position. Together with EchoStar we look forward to a successful mission in collaboration with our reliable industry partner Airbus Defence,” said Martin Halliwell, chief technology officer of SES.