Successful launch of new-generation EUTELSAT KONNECT VHTS satellite

Eutelsat Communications announced that EUTELSAT KONNECT VHTS satellite was successfully launched into Geostationary Transfer Orbit by Arianespace using an Ariane 5 rocket that lifted off from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, at 9.45 pm Universal Time (11.45 pm CET) on Wednesday 7 September.

The separation of the all-electric satellite occurred after a 28-minute flight and the spacecraft systems checkout was successfully completed over a period of 3 hours.

EUTELSAT KONNECT VHTS, a very high throughput satellite built by Thales Alenia Space, will provide fixed broadband and mobile connectivity across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Delivering 230 beams over Western Europe and with a Ka-band capacity of 500 Gbps, EUTELSAT KONNECT VHTS is the largest geostationary satellite ever ordered to date in Europe. It has embarked the most powerful 5th generation digital transparent processor, offering capacity allocation flexibility and an optimal spectrum use.

This state-of-the-art satellite, offering a capacity seven times that of its parent satellite EUTELSAT KONNECT launched in 2020, comes with several major firmly committed customers for satellite broadband connectivity, namely Orange via its Nordnet affiliate for the French coverage, Telecom Italia Mobile over Italy and Thales Alenia Space to serve notably the government connectivity services. These commitments testify to the ability of geostationary satellites to provide an attractive solution for bridging the digital divide, at a time when access to connectivity plays a crucial role in both economic and social development.

Eva Berneke, CEO of Eutelsat, said: “Our congratulations to Arianespace and the Guiana Space Center teams for successfully launching our EUTELSAT KONNECT VHTS satellite into geostationary orbit. Thanks to this fine-tuned collaboration between three French players of excellence, Eutelsat, Thales Alenia Space and Arianespace, we are able to bring connectivity to the next level in Europe and participate in bridging the digital divide everywhere on the continent”. Business Wire