Eutelsat lofts first of two new Hotbirds

Satellite operator Eutelsat has successfully lofted the first of two new satellites to be placed at its flagship 13° East position. 

Eutelsat Hotbird 13F was successfully launched into Geostationary Transfer Orbit by US space launch provider SpaceX using a Falcon 9 rocket that lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida on October 15.

The all-electric satellite is one of two satellites built by Airbus Defence and Spaces and is based on the Eurostar Neo telecommunications satellite platform, developed under an ESA Partnership Project with Airbus.

Once into orbit and positioned, the satellite will, with its twin craft, Eutelsat Hotbird 13G, reinforce and enhance the broadcast of more than a thousand television channels into homes across Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East, Eutelsat said.

Eutelsat says that the satellites will offer advanced features in terms of uplink signal protection and resilience.

The two satellites will be replacing three older satellites at Eutelsat’s 13° East flagship neighbourhood position, enabling Eutelsat to save on capex.

Pascal Homsy, Eutelsat chief technical oficer said: “Our congratulations to the Eutelsat, Airbus and SpaceX teams for successfully launching our Eutelsat Hotbird 13F satellite into geostationary orbit. This satellite brings the latest technology resources of the new Eurostar Neo platform at our leading 13° East position and confirms a long-term partnership between Airbus and Eutelsat”.