SES-17

Last updated

SES-17
Mission type Communications
Operator SES
COSPAR ID 2021-095A OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
SATCAT no. 49332
Website https://www.ses.com/
Mission duration15 years (planned)
2 years, 9 months, 5 days (in progress)
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftSES-17
Spacecraft type Spacebus
Bus SpaceBusNEO 200
Manufacturer Thales Alenia Space
Launch mass6,411 kg (14,134 lb)
Dry mass5,060 kg (11,160 lb)
Power15 kW
Start of mission
Launch date24 October 2021, 02:10 UTC [1]
Rocket Ariane 5ECA (VA255)
Launch site Centre Spatial Guyanais,
Kourou, ELA-3
Contractor Arianespace
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric orbit
Regime Geostationary orbit
Longitude67.1° West
Transponders
Band~200 Ka-band spot beams
Coverage area North America, South America, Caribbean, Atlantic Ocean
←  SES-16
SES-18 →
 

SES-17, is a high throughput all electric geostationary communications satellite owned and operated by SES, and designed and manufactured by Thales Alenia Space. Launched on 24 October 2021 from Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG), in Kourou, French Guiana by an Ariane 5ECA launch vehicle, SES-17 was positioned at 67.1° west in May 2022 and, after testing, became fully operational in June 2022. [2]

Contents

The satellite operates in conjunction with SES's other geostationary satellites and SES's medium Earth orbit O3b and forthcoming O3b mPOWER satellites to provide connectivity services across North America, South America, the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean. [3] [4] [1]

Satellite description

SES-17 is based on the three axis stabilised SpaceBusNEO 200 satellite bus. It has a mass of 6,411 kg (14,134 lb), produces 15 kW of power and has a design life of 15 years. [5] [3] Like all SpaceBusNEO, SES-17 uses electric propulsion exclusively for both orbit raising and station keeping and was launched on an Arianespace Ariane 5ECA launch vehicle pn 24 October 2021. [4] [6] [7] [1]

The satellite will provide almost 200 Ka-band spot beams of mixed sizes for coverage over North America, South America, Caribbean, and the Atlantic Ocean mainly for aircraft connectivity. [8]

SES-17 is SES's first geostationary Ka-band high-throughput satellite, and the first one to include a fully digital payload, using Thales' Spaceflex VHTS Processor, a Digital Transparent Processor (DTP) developed with support from the French space agency, Centre National d'Études Spatiales CNES and the European Space Agency (ESA) [9] to provide in-orbit frequency plan flexibility so mobility customers can change their networks in real time in response to changing bandwidth demands, implementing broadcast, multicast or mesh network as required, and improving efficiency in throughput and bandwidth use. [10]

Along with SES's forthcoming medium Earth orbit satellite constellation, O3b mPOWER, SES-17 is managed through the Adaptive Resource Control (ARC) software system developed jointly between SES and Kythera Space Solutions, autonomously optimizing space and ground resources, on-the-fly, in accordance with customers' changing needs. [11]

History

On 12 September 2016, SES ordered the SES-17 dedicated Ka-band high-throughput satellite from Thales Alenia Space of France and Italy, the main contractor for SES's O3b satellites. [6] Offering mobility connectivity services over the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, SES-17 was expected to launch in 2020 with the FlytLIVE airline passenger connectivity service from Thales Avionics as its anchor customer. Prior to the launch of SES-17, FlytLIVE would use capacity contracted by SES on Hughes's EchoStar XVII and EchoStar XIX satellites, along with SES's own AMC-15 and AMC-16 satellites. [3] [12] The cost of the satellite and launch, and the network of gateways on the ground is expected to be around US$500 million. [6]

In September 2017, SES announced that Arianespace had been selected to launch SES-17 in 2021. [4]

In September 2019, SES announced it had partnered with satellite payload and network management systems developer, Kythera Space Solutions to develop the ARC (Adaptive Resource Control) software to enable the dynamic control and optimisation of power, throughput, beams and frequency allocation on SES-17 and other future high-throughput satellites and their networks. [13]

SES's 2020 Annual Report, released in March 2021, said that SES-17 was expected to launch in July 2021. [7] In April 2021, Arianespace projected a launch in August 2021, [14] then, in September 2021 a launch on 22 October 2021. [1] After a small delay caused by technical issues with the launch pad, the launch was successfully carried out on 24 October 2021 at 02:10 UTC. [15]

In May 2022, SES-17 reached its intended orbital position at 67.1° west [16] and, after testing, became fully operational in June 2022. [2]

In July-August 2022, Spirit Airline's inflight Internet service (using Thales' FlytLIVE) transitioned from Hughes Network Systems satellites to SES-17 to become "the fastest Wi-Fi service of any US-based airline" with connection speeds of up to 400 Mbps for A320 and A321 passengers across all Spirit routes. [17] [18] [19]

In August 2023, SES announced that the combined contract backlog for SES-17, along with the O3b mPOWER high-throughput MEO satellite constellation (expected to begin commercial service by the end of 2023) is now in excess of US$1 billion (gross $1,025 million, fully protected $835 million). [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Satellite constellation</span> Group of artificial satellites working together as a system

A satellite constellation is a group of artificial satellites working together as a system. Unlike a single satellite, a constellation can provide permanent global or near-global coverage, such that at any time everywhere on Earth at least one satellite is visible. Satellites are typically placed in sets of complementary orbital planes and connect to globally distributed ground stations. They may also use inter-satellite communication.

The Ka band is a portion of the microwave part of the electromagnetic spectrum defined as frequencies in the range 26.5–40 gigahertz (GHz), i.e. wavelengths from slightly over one centimeter down to 7.5 millimeters. The band is called Ka, short for "K-above" because it is the upper part of the original NATO K band, which was split into three bands because of the presence of the atmospheric water vapor resonance peak at 22.24 GHz (1.35 cm), which made the center unusable for long range transmission. The 30/20 GHz band is used in communications satellite uplinks in either the 27.5 GHz or 31 GHz bands, and in high-resolution, close-range targeting radars aboard military airplanes. Some frequencies in this radio band are used for vehicle speed detection by law enforcement. The Kepler Mission used this frequency range to downlink the scientific data collected by the space telescope.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Satellite Internet access</span> Satellite-provided Internet

Satellite Internet access is Internet access provided through communication satellites; if it can sustain high speeds, it is termed satellite broadband. Modern consumer grade satellite Internet service is typically provided to individual users through geostationary satellites that can offer relatively high data speeds, with newer satellites using the Ku band to achieve downstream data speeds up to 506 Mbit/s. In addition, new satellite internet constellations are being developed in low-earth orbit to enable low-latency internet access from space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spacebus</span> Brand of satellite bus

Spacebus is a satellite bus produced at the Cannes Mandelieu Space Center in France by Thales Alenia Space. Spacebuses are typically used for geostationary communications satellites, and seventy-four have been launched since development started in the 1980s. Spacebus was originally produced by Aérospatiale and later passed to Alcatel Alenia Space. In 2006, it was sold to Thales Group as Thales Alenia Space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SES (company)</span> Communications satellite owner and operator

SES S.A., trading as SES is a Luxembourgish satellite telecommunications network provider supplying video and data connectivity worldwide to broadcasters, content and internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators, governments and institutions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medium Earth orbit</span> Earth-centered orbit above low Earth orbit and below geostationary orbit

A medium Earth orbit (MEO) is an Earth-centered orbit with an altitude above a low Earth orbit (LEO) and below a high Earth orbit (HEO) – between 2,000 and 35,786 km above sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thales Alenia Space</span> Satellite manufacturer

Thales Alenia Space is a joint venture between the French technology corporation Thales Group (67%) and Italian defense conglomerate Leonardo (33%). The company is headquartered in Cannes, France.

The Regional African Satellite Communication Organization (RASCOM) will provide telecommunication services, direct TV broadcast services and Internet access in rural areas of Africa. Under an agreement with RASCOM, RascomStar-QAF will implement RASCOM's first 14 communications satellite project. This joint African project is expected to lower the continent's dependency on international satellite networks such as Intelsat.

AMC-21, or GE-21, is an American communications satellite operated by SES S.A., formerly SES World Skies and SES Americom. It was launched in August 2008 and is expected to remain in service for approximately 15 years. It is currently located at 125° West longitude.

O3b Networks Ltd. was a network communications service provider building and operating a medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellite constellation primarily intended to provide voice and data communications to mobile operators and Internet service providers. O3b Networks became a wholly owned subsidiary of SES in 2016 and the operator name was subsequently dropped in favour of SES Networks, a division of SES. The satellites themselves, now part of the SES fleet, continue to use the O3b name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">O3b</span> Satellite constellation designed for telecommunications and data backhaul from remote locations

O3b is a satellite constellation in Medium Earth orbit (MEO) owned and operated by SES, and designed to provide low-latency broadband connectivity to remote locations for mobile network operators and internet service providers, maritime, aviation, and government and defence. It is often referred to as O3b MEO to distinguish these satellites from SES's forthcoming O3b mPOWER constellation.

High-throughput satellite (HTS) is a communications satellite that provides more throughput than a classic FSS satellite for the same amount of allocated orbital spectrum, thus significantly reducing cost-per-bit. ViaSat-1 and EchoStar XVII do provide more than 100 Gbit/s of capacity, which is more than 100 times the capacity offered by a conventional FSS satellite. When it was launched in October 2011 ViaSat-1 had more capacity (140 Gbit/s) than all other commercial communications satellites over North America combined.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ARSAT-2</span> Argentine geostationary communications satellite

ARSAT-2 is a geostationary communications satellite operated by ARSAT and built by the Argentine company INVAP. It was launched from French Guiana alongside Sky Muster satellite using an Ariane 5ECA rocket on September 30, 2015 at 20:30hs UTC, becoming the 400th satellite to be launched by Arianespace. It is licensed to be located at 81° West longitude geostationary slot. ARSAT-2 is the second geostationary satellite built in Argentina, after ARSAT-1. Structurally and mechanically it is a copy of the ARSAT-1, the only difference being the payload and thus it has different antenna configuration.

<i>Beyond Frontiers</i>

Beyond Frontiers is the third book in a series from satellite owner and operator SES describing the past, current and future of the development of satellite broadcasting as well as the current business of the company and its strategy. The book was published in 2016, following predecessors High Above (2010) which detailed the history of the company and of satellite broadcasting, and Even Higher (2012) which looked at the future of broadcasting.

Eutelsat 8 West B is a geostationary communications satellite. Operated by Eutelsat, it provides direct-to-home (DTH) broadcasting services from geostationary orbit. The satellite is part of Eutelsat's constellation at a longitude of 8° West. Eutelsat announced the order of a new Spacebus-4000C3 satellite bus from Thales Alenia Space in October 2012.

PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN) is a private Indonesian satellite telecommunications company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soyuz flight VS22</span> April 2019 flight of a Soyuz-ST-B operated by Arianespace

Soyuz flight VS22 was a rocket launch conducted by multinational launch service provider Arianespace. It was the sixteenth launch of a Soyuz-ST-B launch vehicle, and the 22nd launch of a Soyuz-2 series launch vehicle from the Ensemble de Lancement Soyouz at the Guiana Space Centre. After two scheduling delays and a 33-minute logistical delay, the rocket lifted off on 4 April 2019, and successfully delivered to medium Earth orbit the final four satellites in the O3b broadband satellite constellation, which services Latin America, Africa, and Oceania. After four previous Soyuz flights delivered the constellation's first sixteen satellites, the launch increased the constellation's throughput by 26 per cent. The flight marked the second occasion in which two Soyuz-2 launch vehicles were launched on the same day, occurring hours after the launch of Progress MS-11 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eutelsat Konnect</span> Eutelsat telecommunications satellite

Eutelsat Konnect is a geostationary communications satellite operated by Eutelsat. The satellite was designed and manufactured by Thales Alenia Space on the Spacebus NEO 100 platform, and was launched on 16 January 2020 on an Ariane 5 ECA. The satellite provides broadband internet and communications coverage to Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa.

O3b mPOWER is a communications satellite system owned and operated by SES. The system uses high-throughput and low-latency satellites in a medium Earth orbit (MEO), along with ground infrastructure and intelligent software, to provide multiple terabits of global broadband connectivity for applications including cellular backhaul and international IP trunking, cruise line connectivity, disaster recovery, and military communications. The first O3b mPOWER satellites were launched in December 2022 and the system became operational in April 2024 with 6 satellites. The system's capacity will be increased by a further 7 satellites launched by 2026.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Launch Schedule". Spaceflight Now. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  2. 1 2 SES-17 Ka-Band Satellite is Now Operational Via Satellite. 16 June 2022. Accessed 25 August 2022
  3. 1 2 3 "SES orders high throughput satellite from Thales with first secured anchor customer for inflight connectivity". SES. 12 September 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 "SES selects Arianespace for launch of SES-17". Arianespace. 12 September 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  5. ↑ "SES 17". Gunter's Space Page. 10 January 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 "SES enters Ka-band airline connectivity market with Thales Avionics as customer". SpaceNews. 12 September 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  7. 1 2 "Annual Report 2020" (PDF). SES. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  8. ↑ "Thales and SES deliver the most efficient Ka-HTS aviation connectivity solution over the Americas". Thales Alenia Space. 12 September 2016. Archived from the original on 14 September 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  9. ↑ THALES ALENIA SPACE RELEASES FULLY DIGITAL SATELLITE TO ADDRESS FAST MOVING MARKET NEEDS Thales 9 October 2019 Accessed 25 February 2021
  10. ↑ SES AND THALES UNVEIL NEXT-GENERATION CAPABILITIES ONBOARD SES-17 Thales 4 April 2017 Accessed 25 February 2021
  11. ↑ SES' Satellites' Agility Achieved With ARC and Kythera Space Solutions SatNews, 24 November 2020, Accessed 31 March 2021
  12. ↑ Our Connectivity Solutions - FlytLIVE Thales Accessed 25 February 2021
  13. ↑ "SES to Enhance and Expand O3b mPOWER System Capabilities with Dynamic Software Innovation" (Press release). SES. 5 September 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  14. ↑ "Launch Schedule". Spaceflight Now. 12 April 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  15. ↑ "Operated by Arianespace for the benefit of SES and the French Ministry of the Armed Forces; Ariane 5 VA255 flight is the highest performing ever launched to geostationary transfer orbit" (Press release). Arianespace. 24 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  16. ↑ "SES Q1 2022 Results" (PDF). SES . 5 May 2022. p. 3. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  17. ↑ "Spirit Airlines Completes Initial High-Speed Wi-Fi Installation, Takes Ultra-Low Fare Air Travel Experience to New Heights" (Press release). Spirit Airlines. 13 July 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  18. ↑ Spirit’s transition to SES-17 satellite capacity continues apace Runway Girl. 21 August 2022. Accessed 29 March 2023
  19. ↑ "Spirit Airlines Passengers Enjoy Fast Wi-Fi in the Sky Enabled by High-Powered SES-17 Satellite" (Press release). Spirit Airlines. 22 February 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  20. ↑ SES H1: Revenue rises 10% Advanced Television. 3 August 2023. Accessed 29 August 2023
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.