Intelsat Ltd. has revealed their plan to add a new satellite to its global fleet, that being the Intelsat 22 satellite, which is expected to be launched in Q1 2012 and will serve at the 72 degrees East longitude orbital location over the Indian Ocean region.

The design of the Intelsat 22 payload is optimized to address high growth service areas, to provide continuity of services, and to support Intelsat’s strategic initiatives. The satellite will supply 48 C- and 24 Ku-band 36 MHz equivalent transponders to network services and media customers in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, providing incremental capacity for commercial and government applications. The Intelsat 22 satellite will feature custom-tailored beams to meet traffic patterns in these high-demand regions, including C-band capacity for Africa and Asia and an ability to cross-connect between the two regions. Its Ku-band payload will provide coverage of the Middle East and East Africa, with connectivity into Europe. The Ku-band payload will include a mobility beam bridging South East Asia, the Indian Ocean and the coastline of Africa that will support Intelsat’s global mobility strategy for maritime and aeronautical applications.

The Intelsat 22 satellite will also host a specialized UHF payload for the Australian Defence Force, as announced separately. Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems will manufacture the satellite. The launch provider has not yet been announced.