[Satnews] Telesat has procured a powerful new spacecraft called Telstar 18 VANTAGE from Space Systems Loral (SSL).

The new satellite will operate from 138 degrees East and is expected to be in service in the first half of 2018. Telstar 18 VANTAGE will expand Telesat’s coverage of growing satellite service markets in China, Mongolia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Ocean region.

Telesat announces the company has entered into an agreement with APT Satellite Company Limited (APSTAR) under which APSTAR will make use of capacity on Telstar 18 VANTAGE to serve its growing base of customers. This agreement extends the long term relationship between APSTAR and Telesat that has existed for more than a decade.

Telstar 18 VANTAGE will be the third satellite with high throughput capabilities in Telesat’s global fleet and, like the others, will use a combination of broad regional beams and high throughput spot beams in Ku-band to maximize throughput and spectral efficiency. Telstar 18 VANTAGE is designed for an in-orbit life of more than 15 years with electrical output of approximately 14 kW and will also provide extensive C-band coverage of Asia that reaches from India and Pakistan in the West all the way to Hawaii in the East, enabling direct connectivity from any point in Asia to the Americas.

“Telstar 18 VANTAGE is a high throughput, highly flexible, state-of-the-art satellite that will provide a significant competitive advantage to customers serving the demanding requirements of broadcast, enterprise and government users throughout Asia,” said Dan Goldberg, Telesat’s President and CEO. “We are pleased to be making this important addition to our global satellite fleet and, moreover, pleased to continue our long and successful relationship with APSTAR, a leading Asian operator with whom we have closely cooperated for over a decade.”