GPS World

Tag: Intelsat

  • SES completes acquisition of Intelsat

    SES completes acquisition of Intelsat

    New multi-orbit space company has network of 120 GEO+MEO satellites and access to LEO constellations.

    SES, a space solutions company, has completed its highly value accretive acquisition of Intelsat, creating a strengthened global satellite operator with an expanded fleet of 120 satellites across two orbits. The newly combined company will leverage its skilled teams with deep vertical expertise to deliver integrated multi-orbit, multi-band satellite and connectivity solutions to businesses and governments around the world, creating a stronger multi-orbit operator with ~60% of revenue in high-growth segments.

    With a network of approximately 90 geostationary (GEO), nearly 30 medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites, strategic access to low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites, and an extensive ground network, SES can now deliver connectivity solutions utilizing complementary spectrum bands including C-, Ku-, Ka-, Military Ka-, X-band and Ultra High Frequency. The expanded capabilities of the combined company will enable it to deliver premium-quality services and tailored solutions to its customers. The company’s assets and networks, once fully integrated, will put SES in a strong competitive position to better serve the evolving needs of its customers including governments, aviation, maritime and media across the globe.

    Adel Al-Saleh, CEO of SES, talks about the new combined company in the video below.

    The transaction establishes a more robust financial foundation for SES, with pro formacombined revenue of €3.7 billion projected to grow at a low- to mid-single digit CAGR (2024-2028E). The combined company pro forma Adjusted EBITDA of €1.8 billion is expected to grow at mid-single digit CAGR including synergies (2024-2028E), with plans to generate over €1 billion in Adjusted Free Cash Flow by 2027-2028 (pre IRIS2). This stronger financial profile is supported by a combined contract backlog exceeding €8 billion, providing clear visibility into future revenue streams.

    SES plans to maintain disciplined investment in future growth, with annual capital expenditures averaging €600–€650 million from 2025-2028E, excluding the IRIS2 programme. This will enable the company to continuously strengthen its network and explore emerging growthmarkets including Internet of Things (IoT), direct-to-device communications, inter-satellite data relay, space situational awareness, and quantum key distribution. The company’s profitable growth outlook, strong balance sheet metrics and expanded cash flows will support both continued innovation and increased shareholder returns, with the intent to raise the annual base dividend once targeted net leverage of below three times is achieved within 12-18 months after closing.

    By integrating the two organizations, SES expects to deliver synergies with a total net present value of €2.4 billion, representing an annual run rate of approximately €370 million, with 70% of these efficiencies anticipated to be executed within three years after closing. These savings will primarily come from streamlined operations, optimised capacity costs, and procurement efficiencies, along with the strategic integration of satellite fleets and ground infrastructure.

    SES remains headquartered in Luxembourg and is publicly listed on the Paris and Luxembourg stock exchanges (Ticker: SESG), while maintaining a significant presence in the United States with its North American main office in McLean, Virginia.

  • Readiness confirmed for July 31 WAAS satellite launch

    Readiness confirmed for July 31 WAAS satellite launch

    Logo: Arianspace

    Approval is given for Arianespace’s Ariane 5 flight on July 31

    Arianespace’s fifth mission of 2020 has been given the green light for liftoff following a July 29 launch readiness review conducted at the Spaceport in French Guiana.

    The launch will deliver the Intelsat Galaxy 30 (G-30) satellite into orbit. G-30 will become part of the  Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), the air navigation aid developed by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to augment GPS and GNSS.

    Besides G-30, the Ariane 5 launch vehicle will also carry the Mission Extension Vehicle-2 (MEV-2) and BSAT-4b. All satellites are flight-ready, along with the Spaceport’s infrastructure and the network of downrange tracking stations.

    With approval granted, Ariane 5 also is cleared for rollout on July 30 from its Final Assembly Building to the ELA-3 launch zone. Liftoff will occur on July 31 during a 46-minute launch window opening at 6:30 p.m. local time in French Guiana. To watch the launch live, visit the Arianespace website.

    Ariane 5 will deliver a total payload lift performance of approximately 10,468 kg. on the mission to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), which is designated Flight VA253. This total factors in the three passengers, plus the workhorse vehicle’s multi-payload deployment system and integration hardware.

    G-30 and MEV-2 — both produced by Northrop Grumman to serve the operational needs of Intelsat — are stacked together in the upper position of Ariane 5’s payload configuration. G-30 will be deployed first during the 47-minute flight sequence, followed by MEV-2.

    To be released last as the mission’s lower passenger, BSAT-4b is being launched by Arianespace as part of a turnkey contract between the Japanese operator B-SAT and the satellite manufacturer, Maxar.

  • Intelsat demonstrates mitigation of satellite signal interference

    Mitigating intentional interference for satellites is addressed in a new white paper released by Intelsat General.

    The white paper details interference mitigation on the Intelsat EpicNG platform. Intelsat General is a wholly owned subsidiary of Intelsat and operator of the worldwide Globalized Network.

    The whitepaper validates the ability of the Intelsat EpicNG platform to mitigate attempts by adversaries to intentionally interfere with signals operating on Intelsat’s multi-spot, high-frequency reuse, high-throughput satellites. This is particularly important for U.S. and allied military forces in hostile theaters throughout the globe.

    “U.S. DoD (Department of Defense) satellite communication systems are critical for collecting and disseminating video and data that give the military real-time information about a hostile environment,” said Skot Butler, president of Intelsat General. “Our Interference Resolution demonstration showcases the capability of the Intelsat EpicNG system, and its advanced digital payload, to work around efforts to interfere or jam the signals being transmitted via our satellites.”

    https://youtu.be/B0rhVk4MYY0

    Demonstration. The Interference Resolution demonstration used a remote terminal transmitting video to a hub Earth station over the Intelsat 29e satellite. During the validation process, technicians transmitted an interference signal on the same channel used to transmit the video.

    Once the interference was detected, technicians were able to reconfigure the satellite and the remote terminal, thereby re-establishing video transmissions. The reconfigurations

    • terminated the interferer at the satellite thereby clearing the downlink,
    • provided a new, interference-free uplink channel, and
    • connected the new video uplink channel to the original, now clear, downlink channel.

    Intelsat 29e, launched in January 2016, was the first of Intelsat’s fleet of high-throughput satellites. Five Intelsat EpicNG satellites are now in orbit with one more planned for launch in 2018.