Intelsat’s 40e arrives for launch
April 4, 2023
By Chris Forrester
Intelsat’s latest addition to its fleet, its I-40e ‘epic’ craft has arrived at the SpaceX launch site in Florida.
Launch time is 04.39am UTC on April 7th, subject to the usual weather considerations and technical limitations. SpaceX will use one of its Falcon 9 rockets.
The satellite is an ‘Epic’ version and will join the other Epic craft with a high throughput role.
The satellite, once launched, will be in a geosynchronous transfer orbit and eventually be placed at 91 degrees West. The satellite’s mission also comprises a NASA/TEMPO additional element (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution) for earth observation.
In February 2020 Satellite operator Intelsat ordered the new Intelsat-40e High-Throughput geostationary communications satellite (HTS) with Space Systems/Loral (SS/L). The satellite will provide Intelsat customers across North and Central America with flexible, high-throughput, ‘coast-to-coast; coverage. The satellite is built on the SSL-1300 platform and carries a high throughput C-, Ku, and Ka-band payload for Intelsat’s Epic system. The satellite will use both electric and chemical propulsion for orbit raising and will be operated with all-electric propulsion on orbit for a planned lifespan of 21+ years.