Satellite operator Telesat procured a powerful new spacecraft called Telstar 18 Vantage from Space Systems Loral (SSL). The new satellite will operate from 138 degrees East and is expected to be in service in the first half of 2018. Telstar 18 Vantage will expand Telesat’s coverage of growing satellite service markets in China, Mongolia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Ocean region.
Telesat also announced it entered into an agreement with APT Satellite Company (Apstar) under which Apstar will make use of capacity on Apstar-5C/Telstar-18 Vantage to serve its growing base of customers. This agreement extends the long term relationship between Apstar and Telesat that has existed for more than a decade.
Apstar-5C/Telstar-18 Vantage satellite is the replacement satellite to Apstar-5 (also known as Telstar-18) located at 138 degrees East geostationary orbital slot. APT Satellite will hold the leasehold interests and exclusive right of utilisation of approximately 36.2 transponders for the whole lifetime of the Apstar-5C Satellite.
Telstar 18 Vantage will be the third satellite with high throughput capabilities in Telesat’s global fleet. As the others satellites of Telesat, it will use a combination of broad regional beams and high throughput spot beams in Ku-band to maximise throughput and spectral efficiency. It will also provide extensive C-band coverage of Asia that reaches from India and Pakistan in the West all the way to Hawaii in the East, enabling direct connectivity from any point in Asia to the Americas.
Telstar 18 Vantage is designed for an in-orbit life of more than 15 years with electrical output of approximately 14 kW.
