JCSAT-17
JCSAT-17 lifts off on an Ariane 5 rocket. Credit: Arianespace.

US aerospace company Lockheed Martin has announced the launch of JCSAT-17 Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) communications satellite.

JCSAT-17 is designed based on the modernised LM 2100 bus.

The satellite was onboard Ariane 5 rocket, which launched from Guiana Space Center in French Guiana. It will enter its transfer orbit and then undergo a series of in-orbit tests.

The satellite will be operated by Sky Perfect JSAT Corporation. It will cater to users in Japan and nearby territory.

It is equipped with Ku-band connectivity, S-band and C-band transponders, which are fitted with a flexible processor featuring an 18m mesh reflector to guarantee continuous communications connectivity.

Lockheed Martin has already built satellites for SJC, including the NSAT-110, JCSAT-9, JCSAT-13 and JCSAT-110R.

JCSAT-17 marks the eighth spacecraft for the company.

Lockheed Martin Communication Satellite Solutions vice-president Guy Beutelschies said: “Advanced mobile satellite communications are necessary as the world consumes more and more data in the transition to 5G.

“This satellite will diversify and harden Japan’s communications infrastructure, by adding new options for mobility, bandwidth where it’s needed, and reliable connections.”

Construction on five modernised LM 2100-based satellites is currently underway with Lockheed Martin. They will be delivered to commercial and government customers.

The Ariane 5 rocket also launched a South Korean geostationary meteorological satellite, known as GEO-Kompsat 2B. It was launched for the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI).

GEO-Kompsat 2B is designed for Earth environment monitoring and ocean monitoring missions.

Earlier this month, OneWeb launched 34 satellites onboard the Soyuz launch vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.