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Ibadan, 3 April 2024. – The Airbus-built EUTELSAT 36D telecommunications satellite has successfully launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
EUTELSAT selected Airbus in March 2021 to build EUTELSAT 36D, a new-generation multi-mission geostationary telecommunications satellite. The satellite is consequently based on the latest generation Eurostar Neo geostationary telecommunications satellite and will provide TV broadcasting (DTH) and government services over Africa, Europe and eastern countries and has a potential lifetime of more than 15 years.
The all-electric EUTELSAT 36D, with its new enhancements in coverage and performance, features 78 physical Ku-band transponders and will ensure a seamless service continuation with EUTELSAT 36B. Furthermore, Eurostar Neo satellites combine higher payload capacity and more efficient power and thermal control systems with reduced production time and optimized costs as part of a fully digitalized production process. In addition, the satellite combines 18 kW of electric power with a reduced launch mass of approximately five metric tonnes.
The Eurostar Neo family of Airbus telecommunications satellites is based on a next-generation platform and technologies developed with the support of the European Space Agency (ESA) and others, including the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) and the UK Space Agency (UKSA). The EUTELSAT 36D geostationary telecommunications satellite shipped from Toulouse, France, to Sanford, Florida, USA, on board an Airbus BelugaST (A300-600ST) on 11 March.
Alain Fauré, Head of Space Systems at Airbus, said: “EUTELSAT 36D is the fourth Eurostar Neo satellite in orbit demonstrating our commitment to continually pioneering new technologies which better serve our customers’ needs. Our relationship with Eutelsat spans more than 30 years, working hand in hand with them to provide broadcast and data connectivity across the world, including to remote regions where it’s needed most.”
