Press releases

HISPASAT’S new communications satellite, which was launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, is now in space.

Hispasat 30W-6, located at the 30° West orbital position, will provide a wide range of telecommunications services to Europe, America and North Africa.

MADRID, 6 March 2018. HISPASAT, the Spanish satellite communications operator, successfully launched its twelfth satellite, Hispasat 30W-6, at 06:33 Spanish time, from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida atop SpaceX's launch vehicle Falcon 9.

Approximately 33 minutes after the rocket took off, the Hispasat 30W-6 satellite separated from the launch vehicle, at which point the solar panels were started up and deployed. From that moment on, manoeuvres began to position the new satellite at the geostationary orbit point where the test phase will be carried out to make sure it is working properly, and which is scheduled to last several weeks. Once the tests have been passed, the satellite will be placed in its final orbital position at 30° West.

Carlos Espinós, CEO of HISPASAT, confirmed that "this new satellite will allow us to meet the growing connectivity demand detected in the market. In the hyperconnected world in which we live, access to quality broadband is an essential need for economic, social and even personal development, and this satellite fulfils this need in places other technologies cannot reach. Hispasat 30W-6 allows us to broaden capacity and services, while completing the current phase of the company's growth plan”.

Hispasat 30W-6 provides:

• GREATER CAPACITY: from its orbital position at 30º West, Hispasat 30W-6 will replace and broaden the capacity of Hispasat 30W-4. It has 40 Ku-band transponders, up to 6 Ka-band beams and 10 C-band transponders.
• BETTER COVERAGE: Hispasat 30W-6 has beams aimed at the Mediterranean, Europe, Spain, northeast Africa and the American continent, it increases the operator's offer in Ka and Ku bands, and incorporates a new C-band beam with Pan American coverage.
• BETTER SERVICES: This configuration enables Hispasat 30W-6 to contribute to the reduction in the digital divide in North Africa, Latin America or the Iberian Peninsula. The Ka-band beams over the Spanish territory will allow quality Internet access in rural areas, thus promoting access to information technologies in places where it is not possible with other infrastructures. Furthermore, Hispasat 30W-6 will strengthen the distribution of audiovisual content in Latin America, enabling access for over 50 million users through their audiovisual distribution platforms, and will offer connectivity in high-speed trains and maritime services in the Caribbean and Mediterranean.

Hispasat 30W-6 is the fourth satellite of the HISPASAT fleet to be built by Space Systems Loral using its 1300 platform and involved the participation of Spanish companies for the manufacture of several components and development of the ground segment: Thales Alenia Space España, Airbus D&S España, TRYO Aerospace, DAS Photonics, Iberespacio, GMV and Indra.

Innovation

Hispasat 30W-6 incorporates demonstration equipment for a Ka-band receiver based on photonics technology with modules that have been designed by DAS Photonics and TRYO Aerospace. With services similar to those of the current receptors available in the market, the application of photonics technology to this type of components will enable, in the future, its mass and volume to be significantly reduced and the performance of the payload to be improved.

About HISPASAT

HISPASAT is comprised of companies that have a presence in Spain as well as in Latin America, where its Brazilian affiliate HISPAMAR is based. HISPASAT is a world leader in the distribution and broadcasting of Spanish and Portuguese content, and its satellite fleet is used by important direct-to-home television (DTH) and high-definition television (HDTV) digital platforms. HISPASAT also provides satellite broadband services and other added value solutions to governments, corporations and telecommunication operators in America, Europe and North Africa. HISPASAT is one of the world's largest companies in its sector in terms of revenue, and the main communications bridge between Europe and the Americas.

Press contact:

María Felpeto – t 91 710 25 40 mfelpeto@hispasat.es / comunicacion@hispasat.es