Kacific-2 in progress
November 2, 2020
By Chris Forrester
Singapore-based satellite operator Kacific says it is in the design and planning stage of a second satellite, Kacific-2. Kacific-2 will complement Kacific1, launched in December 2019 via SpaceX. The company has not specified a contract/supplier for the new craft.
Kacific-1 is a Ka-band broadband satellite and it a ‘condominium’ satellite operated with Japan’s JSAT/JCSAT-18 craft and transmitting from 150 degrees East. It was built by Boeing and launched by SpaceX in December 2019.
Kacific-2 will add capacity to Kacific’s largest markets – Indonesia, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea – as well as expand its reach wider into South East Asia and further into Central and Western Asia, and potentially Eastern Africa. Like Kacific1, Kacific-2 will use a spot beam system with dynamic bandwidth reallocation to respond to changes in market demand pre and post launch.
Christian Patouraux, Kacific CEO, said that Kacific-1 has established a market presence and distribution channels for its high-speed broadband internet business in a number of key markets. “The successful launch and deployment of Kacific1 last year and current strong demand for its services allowed us to prove both our capabilities and our business case despite the pandemic. We’ve shown how rapidly we can meet pent-up demand for internet access in Asia and the Pacific with satellite technology, not only as trunk and mobile backhaul links to telcos but also as direct broadband internet to governments and to ISPs serving enterprises and consumers.”
“It’s exciting to move forward with the active planning towards our next satellite Kacific2, which is an important part of our growth strategy” he added.