[SatNews] SES (NYSE Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) has ordered their new SES-15 satellite to provide growth capacity in North America and capture business potential in vibrant market segments.

Artistic rendition of a Boeing 702SP satellite.

The new satellite is to be built by Boeing (NYSE: BA), due to be launched in Q2 2017 and will open up a new orbital location to serve North America. SES-15 will carry a hybrid payload, with additional Ku-band wide beams and Ku- as well as Ka-band High Throughput Satellite (HTS) capability. The satellite will be equipped with an electric propulsion system for orbit raising and in-orbit maneuvers.

Alongside the newly procured SES-14 satellite (see the SES + Airbus D&S news item in today's coverage), SES-15 will solidify SES’ positioning in the aeronautical mobility and government markets, providing fresh capacity and coverage over major airline routes across the continent. SES-15 will enable SES to serve its leading aeronautical customers and serve other traffic intensive data applications such as government, VSAT networks and maritime. This procurement is incorporated in SES’s current capital expenditure guidance.

Martin Halliwell, Chief Technology Officer, SES, said, “The procurement of SES-15  will give us new growth momentum and strengthen our position in the important North American government and mobility markets. The innovative electric propulsion system significantly improves the efficiency of the satellite. The hybrid payload with wide beams and high throughput capacity gives aeronautical, maritime and governmental customers unprecedented power and flexibility to develop very attractive next generation data services.”

“We designed the 702SP satellite to meet our customer’s mission requirements as efficiently as possible by reducing the spacecraft mass to take advantage of low cost launch vehicles while maximizing the revenue-generating capability of the payload,” said Mark Spiwak, President Boeing Satellite Systems International, Inc.