HISPASAT contracts SSL to build the Hispasat 1F

July 1, 2014

The new satellite will serve as a replacement for the Hispasat 1D and will give the Group additional capacity in America, Europe and North Africa.

It will be the Group's third satellite to be built by the American satellite manufacturer.

Spanish satellite telecommunications operator HISPASAT has chosen Space Systems/Loral (SSL) to produce the Hispasat 1F, to be located at orbital position 30º West. The Hispasat 1F will serve as a replacement for the Hispasat 1D and will give the Group additional Ku band capacity, in the Andean region and in Brazil. Likewise, the Hispasat 1F will expand the Group’s transatlantic capacity in Europe-America and America-Europe connectivity. Ka band capacity with European coverage will furthermore be incorporated, in order to enable HISPASAT to continue expanding its broadband service offer in the region.

The Hispasat 1F is expected to have a useful life of 15 years. The satellite will be built on the SSL 1300 satellite platform, with 11.5 kW power and a multi-mission payload distributed across:

  • 48 Ku band transponders, which serve three coverage areas:

- Europe and North Africa, with coverage on the Iberian Peninsula, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, the Azores, Cape Verde and Madeira; Mauritius, Morocco, Mediterranean countries in North West Africa and the large part of the European continent visible from 30º West.

- The Americas, with coverage from Canada to Patagonia, not including Brazil.

- South America, with coverage over the large part of the continent, especially in Brazil.

  •  6 Ka band beams, with coverage on the Iberian Peninsula, the Balearic and Canary Islands, North West Africa and South East and Central Europe.
  • 1 Ka BSS band beam, with coverage centred in the Iberian Peninsula.
  • 1 C band beam, with coverage centred in Brazil.

In the words of their managing director, Carlos Espinós, “HISPASAT is once again placing its trust in SSL, given the high-quality and reliability of their products. SSL has provided us with a compelling opportunity to team together. We are sure their 1300 platform is best suited for delivering the high service performance our company designed the Hispasat 1F to deliver. Furthermore, we are pleased to note that as a leader in geostationary satellite manufacturing, SSL benefits from Spanish built components on nearly all of its satellites”.

Indeed, John Celli, president of SSL, confirmed that “Hispasat 1F is the third satellite that SSL will build for HISPASAT and we are pleased to welcome our colleagues back to our facility. Our companies share a focus on quality, reliability and value and we look forward to teaming together again to build an outstanding satellite”.

The 1300 platform makes it possible to house a wide range of payloads for commercial communications satellites and its wide in-orbit experience serves to testify the high reliability it provides. In fact, the Hispasat 1F will be the Group’s third satellite to be built based on this experience. Furthermore, SSL’s expertise in manufacturing such large, complex satellites guarantees the Hispasat 1F will be delivered in line with HISPASAT requirements.

 

About SSL

SSL has a long history of delivering reliable satellites and spacecraft systems for commercial and government customers around the world. As a leading provider of commercial satellites, the company works closely with satellite operators to provide spacecraft for a broad range of services including television and radio distribution, digital audio radio, broadband Internet, mobile communications, and Earth observation. Billions of people around the world depend on SSL satellites every day. For more information, visit www.sslmda.com.

 

About HISPASAT Group

The HISPASAT Group is composed of companies with a foothold in Spain as well as in Latin America, where its Brazilian affiliate HISPAMAR, sells its services. The Group is a leading Spanish- and Portuguese-language content broadcaster and distributor, including over important direct-to-home television (DTH) and high-definition television (HDTV) digital platforms. HISPASAT is one of the world's largest companies in terms of revenue in its sector, and the main communications bridge between Europe and the Americas.

 


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