Space Systems/Loral has been contracted to build Hughes Network Systems’ new high throughput Ka-band satellite Jupiter-2.
The spacecraft, which will also be known as EchoStar-19, will be based on SS/L’s 1300 platform and have 50% more capacity than…
Space Systems/Loral has been contracted to build Hughes Network Systems’ new high throughput Ka-band satellite Jupiter-2.
The spacecraft, which will also be known as EchoStar-19, will be based on SS/L’s 1300 platform and have 50% more capacity than its predecessor Jupiter-1 (Echostar-17), with over 150 Gbps throughput and more than 120 spot beams. It is planned to be launched in mid-2016 and a launch services provider has yet to be selected.
As with Jupiter-1, the new bird will serve the North American satellite broadband market. At the end of 2012, HNS had 659,000 HughesNet subscribers.
John Celli, president of SS/L, said: “Jupiter-2/EchoStar-19 will be the highest capacity broadband satellite ever built, as a result of technology advances from both our companies.”
Pradman Kaul, president of HNS, added: “We are very glad to once again work with SS/L’s innovative use of spotbeam technology to leapfrog prior capabilities. EchoStar-17 is performing very well on orbit and record growth of our HughesNet Gen4 high-speed Internet service has given us the confidence that we need for continued fleet expansion.”
HNS ordered Jupiter-1 from SS/L back in June 2009 in a contract worth approximately US$250m. The satellite, which is located at 107.1W, was then launched by Arianespace in July 2012.
To help fund the launch, HNS secured a US$115m 8.5-year 5.13% loan with BNP Paribas and Societe Generale that was guaranteed by the French export credit agency Coface.
Meanwhile SS/L remains locked in a legal dispute with US satellite operator ViaSat over alleged patent infringements.
ViaSat launched legal proceedings last year after flagging similarities between Jupiter-1 and its own high throughput satellite called ViaSat-1, which was also built by SS/L.
Shortly after, SS/L launched legal proceedings against ViaSat, alleging that virtually all of its ground station products and satellite communication services infringe patents belonging to the manufacturer.
A spokeswoman for SS/L said it remained confident that the legal action will not be material to its business.
ViaSat CEO Mark Dankberg has also recently been cited saying his company’s apparent indecision on contracting a manufacturer to build its second high throughput bird, ViaSat-2, had nothing to do with the legal action.
