December 5, 2014
The new HISPASAT satellite is the result of expanding the Amazonas 4B project, adding to it the full capacity of the Amazonas 4A.
The Amazonas 5 will provide coverage in South America and Central America.
Spanish satellite telecommunications operator, HISPASAT, has appointed Space Systems Loral (SSL) to build the Amazonas 5, which will provide a wide range of telecommunications services in Latin America. This new satellite constitutes an expansion of the Amazonas 4B project, to which the full capacity of the Amazonas 4A was added. Indeed, redefining the 4B mission is just one of the measures HISPASAT has taken in attempt to minimize any impact the anomaly detected in the Amazonas 4A power subsystem might have. As a result, not only will HISPASAT Group complete within a short period of time its capacity offer, which may be reduced by the incident occurred in the Amazonas 4A, it will also have additional capacity in Latin America - one of the regions with the highest growth in demand for satellite services.
Amazonas 5 has a high throughput Ka-band spot beam payload, which will be used for broadband service in South America, Central America and Mexico. It also has a Ku-band beam for fixed satellite services, which will be used for television, corporate networks and other telecommunications applications. The multi-mission payload of the Amazonas 5 will be distributed as follows:
- 24 Ku band transponders will provide three coverage areas:
- Furthermore, 35 Ka band beams will provide coverage in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Costa Rica and Venezuela.
“We are very happy to team with SSL on Amazonas 5,” said Carlos Espinós, chief executive officer of HISPASAT. “As the leader in commercial satellite manufacturing, SSL is well-positioned to support our current innovation and expansion initiatives by providing us with an outstanding satellite.”
“I would like to thank HISPASAT for its ongoing confidence in SSL,” said John Celli, president of SSL. “Amazonas 5 is the fourth satellite that we will build for HISPASAT, with two currently on orbit and another in backlog. We look forward to continued teamwork on this high performance satellite that will help HISPASAT broaden the availability of high quality communications in Latin America.”
The Amazonas 5 is based on SSL's 1300 platform, which provides the flexibility needed to be able to house a wide range of payloads for commercial communications satellites. With approximately 9.8 kW of power, the Amazonas 5 is designed to deliver service for 15 years or longer and will be designed, manufactured and tested at the SSL facilities in Palo Alto, California. It is due to be launched in 2017.
The 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. For more information, visit www.hispasat.com.
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.