Englewood, Colorado – EchoStar Satellite Operating Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corp., a global satellite services provider and developer of hybrid video delivery technologies, has chosen Airbus Defence and Space to construct the EchoStar 105 satellite.
This new satellite, providing EchoStar with 24 36MHz Ku-band transponders, will be positioned at the 105° West orbital position, offering comprehensive coverage of the Americas, including Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, and the Caribbean. EchoStar has been providing satellite communications services to customers from this orbital position since 2006.
"The market for 50-state transponder capacity in North America has demonstrated significant growth for the EchoStar Satellite Services business unit over the past five years – the acquisition of EchoStar 105 renews our commitment to the fixed satellite services market in North America," EchoStar Satellite Services President Anders Johnson said. "The replacement of AMC-15, with the increased capability offered by EchoStar 105, will allow us to meet the evolving demand from our customers for enterprise, broadcast, and government services applications. We are pleased to work with Airbus Defence and Space to provide our customers with new, high-power satellite capacity at this established orbital slot."
EchoStar 105 will be based on the Eurostar E3000 platform. Under an agreement between EchoStar and satellite operator SES, EchoStar 105 will also be equipped with a payload of 24 C-band transponders, known as SES-11 and operated by SES. The spacecraft's C-band capacity will also allow SES to provide replacement capacity for AMC-18 at 105° West.
The launch of EchoStar 105/SES-11 – which will have a separated mass of approximately 5,400kg and an end-of-life electrical budget for the payloads of approximately 12kW – is scheduled for the end of 2016.
"We are proud that an operator as renowned as EchoStar has chosen Airbus Defense and Space to build the EchoStar 105 satellite," said Francois Auque, head of Space Systems. "I am extremely pleased to have won this commercial contract in the American market which is highly competitive. Owing to this latest success, Airbus Defence and Space is the only satellite manufacturer supplying the world's seven leading satellite operators."
At the time of launch, EchoStar 105 will be the 27th spacecraft in EchoStar's fleet of owned, leased, and managed satellites.
EchoStar's wholly-owned subsidiary, Hughes, is a provider of satellite broadband services, delivering network technologies and managed services in more than 100 countries.
Sources: EchoStar, SES