Telesat

Satellite operator Telesat has selected California-based Space Systems Loral (SSL) to build its next generation high throughput satellite, Telstar 19 Vantage.

Telstar 19 Vantage will feature two high throughput payloads including Ku-band and Ka-band.

The satellite is expected to be placed with Telesat’s Telstar 14R satellite at 63° West, where it will cover American regions, specifically South America.

Telstar 19 Vantage aims to cover northern Canada, the Caribbean and the North Atlantic Ocean, as well as Brazil, the Andean region and the North Atlantic Ocean.

Telstar 19 Vantage is scheduled to be launched by 2018.

SSL will build Telstar 19 Vantage on the SSL 1300 platform, which will have a lifespan of more than 15 years.

"Telstar 19 Vantage is a state-of-the-art, high throughput satellite optimised to serve growing markets in the Americas."

Telesat president Dan Goldberg said: "Telstar 19 Vantage is a state-of-the-art, high throughput satellite optimised to serve growing markets in the Americas.

"We are pleased to again be working with SSL, a longstanding technology partner for Telesat, and excited to be augmenting our prime orbital position at 63° West with additional HTS capacity to serve Latin America, Northern Canada and mobile broadband requirements in the Caribbean and North Atlantic, all markets where we have a leading position today."

The first generation of Telesat’s high throughput satellite, Telstar 12 Vantage was recently launched aboard a rocket, jointly developed by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

Airbus Defence and Space built Telstar 12 Vantage, which will operate in Ku and Ka bands over four regional beams and eight spot beams.

Hughes Network Systems LLC (Hughes) made a commitment to use the high throughput Ka-band capacity of Telstar 19 Vantage in South America.

Image: The H-IIA lifts off Telstar 12 Vantage from Tanegashima Space Center, Japan. Photo: courtesy of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.