Eutelsat 8 West B arrives in Kourou

Satellite operator Eutelsat’s latest satellite, Eutelsat 8 West B, has arrived at the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana and is in the final stages of preparation ahead of its launch on an Ariane 5 rocket on August 20.

The satellite is intended to reinforce the 7-8° West orbital position, which serves markets in the Middle East and North Africa. The position is shared by Eutelsat and Nilesat, jointly addressing over 52 million homes across the MENA region.

Eutelsat said that the satellite, which will have 40 Ku-band transponders and 10 C-band transponders, would ensure that bandwidth is available to cover broadcaster’s HD and future Ultra HD requirements.