Boeing is on the verge of securing a second commercial customer for its all-electric 702SP satellite design after a two-year lull, according to the company.
The potential order from a “regional operator” would follow ABS and Eutelsat Americas’…
Boeing is on the verge of securing a second commercial customer for its all-electric 702SP satellite design after a two-year lull, according to the company.
The potential order from a “regional operator” would follow ABS and Eutelsat Americas’ (formerly Satmex) deal in 2012 to become anchor customers for the new platform, a landmark deal prompting other satellite makers to forge their own all-electric designs.
Speaking during a press briefing on 11 March, Boeing officials also said that an undisclosed US government customer had ordered three 702SP satellites in 2013.
US-based launcher SpaceX is due to place the manufacturer’s first commercial all-electrics, ABS-3A and Satmex 7, on the same Falcon 9 rocket early next year.
Boeing put its lack of all-electric orders down to operators waiting on the success of Falcon 9, which is suited to launching two 702SPs at a time and placed its first geostationary satellite in December 2013. Although the group said the satellite design concept was proven, it conceded that some operators could also be holding out to see how Satmex 7 and ABS-3A operate in orbit.
Satellites that do not have to rely on heavy chemical propulsion are cheaper to launch. But an all-electric bird launched by SpaceX would take six to eight months to reach its intended orbit once lofted, which is a timeframe that puts off some operators from considering the lighter spacecraft.
However, Boeing said it is in talks with Russia’s ILS to make 702SPs suitable for a dual launch on the group’s Proton rocket, potentially cutting this transfer time to just three months.
Asia’s ABS and Mexico-based Eutelsat Americas have also ordered a second all-electric each from Boeing, ABS 2A and Satmex 9, respectively, which are set to be launched by SpaceX in Q4 2015.
The companies also have the opportunity to buy four more under options that will expire this year if they do not obtain an extension.
