SES-17 prior to launch

One of the largest telecommunications satellite ever built in Europe has been launched and is on its way to geostationary orbit.

The satellite includes cutting-edge technology developed under ESA’s programme of Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems. It will provide broadband connectivity for commercial aviation through its operator, SES.

The satellite will connect underserved areas and accelerate digital inclusion, as well as providing broadband connectivity for commercial shipping and aviation through its operator, SES.

Called SES-17, the satellite has a new very powerful on-board processor to manage high-speed data traffic in a flexible and efficient way. It belongs to a new generation of data intensive high-throughput or very-high-throughput satellites and uses a fifth-generation digital transparent processor for more capacity and flexibility.

It has an innovative cooling system developed under the ESA Spacebus Neo Partnership Project with the French Space Agency, CNES, and satellite manufacturer Thales Alenia Space, and used for the first time on a large commercial telecommunications satellite.

SES-17 was launched together with Syracuse 4, another Spacebus Neo satellite, on board an Ariane 5.