The KA-SAT satellite of Eutelsat
Communications has been successfully lofted into orbit by a Proton Breeze M
rocket supplied by International Launch Services. Built for Eutelsat by Astrium
using the Eurostar E3000 platform, the KA-SAT
is a new generation of multi-spotbeam satellite. Its concept is based on a
payload with 82 narrow spotbeams connected to 10 ground stations.
This configuration enables frequencies to be reused 20 times and takes total
throughput beyond 70G bps. The company said the combination of KA-SAT’s
capacity and ViaSat’s SurfBeam technology will make it possible to deliver
Internet connectivity for more than 1 million homes, at speeds comparable to
ADSL.
The ground network will use ViaSat’s SurfBeam technology, similar to the
solution already powering broadband connectivity for almost 450,000 satellite
homes in North America. Lift-off of the 6.1-ton
satellite took place on the evening of Dec. 26. After a 9-hour, 12-minute
flight, the launcher released KA-SAT into
geosynchronous transfer orbit. “Acquisition of the satellite’s telemetry
signal by Eutelsat’s control center at the Rambouillet teleport and the partial
deployment of the solar arrays have already been successfully completed,”
a company statement said.
For more, read the eWeek article: Broadband Internet Satellite Launches Successfully.
