SSL selected to provide new high throughput satellite to Telesat

Space Systems Loral (SSL) of Palo Alto, CA announced on December 23 that it has been selected to provide an advanced communications satellite to Telesat, one of the world’s top satellite operators. The new satellite called Telstar 18 VANTAGE will operate from 138 degrees East and significantly expand Telesat’s capacity over the Asia Pacific region through a combination of broad regional beams and high throughput spot-beams.

“This is the second satellite contract that Telesat has awarded to SSL this quarter,” said John Celli, president, SSL. “Our companies have a long history of working together to help expand the world’s communications infrastructure and we are honored that Telesat continues to place its trust in SSL for its most advanced satellite systems.”

Equipped with C and Ku-band transponders, Telstar 18 VANTAGE will offer superior performance for broadcasters, telecom service providers and enterprise networks on the ground, in the air and at sea. Its broad C-band coverage will extend across the Asia region to Hawaii enabling direct connectivity between any point in Asia and the Americas. Its Ku-band capacity will expand on Telesat’s coverage of growing satellite service markets inChina, Mongolia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Ocean.

“The strong relationship between Telesat and SSL has enabled our engineering teams to collaborate on a highly innovative design for Telstar 18 VANTAGE that will meet the growing needs of our Asia customers,” said Dan Goldberg, Telesat’s president and CEO.  “Telesat’s contract award was the result of SSL’s strong technical and commercial expertise, along with their ability to deliver on schedule. We look forward to working with them on the Telstar 18 VANTAGE program and expanding Telesat’s capacity over the Asiaregion.”

Telstar 18 VANTAGE is based on the highly reliable SSL 1300 platform, which provides the flexibility for a broad range of applications and technology advances. Scheduled for launch in 2018, Telesat’s newest satellite is designed to deliver service for 15 years or more.

Source: MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd.