Space Systems / Loral (SS/L) has successfully delivered the Telstar 14R satellite to Telesat for the start of its launch campaign.

The satellite, also called Estrela do Sul 2, has been delivered ahead of schedule and will be launched aboard an ILS Proton in late May 2011.

Telstar 14R is a Ku-band satellite that will deliver services to growing markets that include Brazil, Continental US, the North Atlantic Ocean Region and the Andean and Southern Cone region of South America.

The satellite has 46 Ku-band transponders and five antenna beams with on-orbit switching capability that will allow its capacity to be reconfigured depending on market demand.

Telstar 14R will be positioned at 63°W longitude and will replace Telstar 14.

The new satellite is based on the SS/L 1300 platform and is designed for a service life of 15 years or more.