Intelsat 33e satellite launched into orbit with advanced digital payload, anti-jam and other security features

LUXEMBOURG, 25 August 2016. Intelsat 33e, the second of seven planned Intelsat EpicNG high-throughput satellites, launched from French Guiana aboard an Ariane 5 launch vehicle. Intelsat 33e, manufactured by Boeing for Intelsat S.A. (NYSE:I), is equipped with the most advanced digital payload on a commercial spacecraft and combines wide beams and spot beams with frequency reuse technology, officials describe.

“The digital payload provides customers with unprecedented security and flexibility, enabling seamless access and the ability to shift capacity to match their usage needs in a particular region or timeframe,” officials say. Intelsat EpicNG is optimized to provide satellite connectivity for applications including aeronautical and maritime mobility, government, the Internet of Things (IoT), enterprise, and wireless infrastructure – which are expected to provide a combined $3.3 billion incremental industry-wide revenue opportunity between 2015 and 2021.

Liftoff occurred at 6:16 p.m. EDT on 24 August 2016. The Intelsat 33e satellite separated from the rocket’s upper stage at 6:44 p.m. EDT, and signal acquisition has been confirmed.

Intelsat 33e will bring high throughput capacity in both C- and Ku-band to Africa, Europe, Middle East and Asia regions from 60°E. The satellite will join Intelsat 29e, the first Intelsat EpicNG satellite, which was launched in January 2016 over the Americas and North Atlantic Ocean region, to form a high-throughput overlay to Intelsat’s fleet of enterprise-grade, wide beam satellites.

“Intelsat 33e marks another significant milestone as we continue our ‘epic’ journey toward meeting our customers’ needs for higher performance, improved economics and simplified access to satellite solutions,” explains Intelsat Chief Executive Officer Stephen Spengler. “Our first high-throughput satellite, Intelsat 29e, is already in service and exceeding our customers’ expectations in the Americas. With Intelsat 33e, customers operating in EMEA and the Asia Pacific regions will now be able to leverage Intelsat EpicNG’s differentiated capabilities and greater efficiencies to grow their businesses and deliver enhanced value to their customers.

“Intelsat 33e and the Intelsat EpicNG architecture are fully backwards compatible and interoperable with Intelsat’s existing satellite fleet and terrestrial infrastructure,” Spengler continues. “This allows customers to cost efficiently use currently deployed network hardware so that they can have immediate access to high performance connectivity. Intelsat 33e also brings us one step closer to providing the first global, fully interoperable wide beam and high throughput Ku-band broadband service. We remain on schedule to launch the remaining five Intelsat EpicNG satellites. The 2018 launch of our Horizons 3e satellite will complete our global coverage, adding the Pacific Ocean region.”

The Intelsat 33e payload will deliver carrier-grade services to fixed and mobile network operators, and broadband for applications such as enterprise, aeronautical and maritime mobility, and government. Companies such as EMC, Gogo, Harris CapRock, KVH, Marlink, Panasonic Avionics, Romantis, Supernet, and Television and Radio Broadcasting Network of Armenia (TRBNA), will be among the first to deploy services on the platform.

Intelsat 33e is the 57th Intelsat satellite launched by Arianespace. It will replace Intelsat 904, which will be redeployed.

Intelsat S.A. (NYSE:I) operates a Globalized Network, delivering high-quality, cost-effective video and broadband services anywhere in the world. Intelsat’s Globalized Network combines a large satellite backbone with terrestrial infrastructure, managed services, and an open, interoperable architecture to enable customers to drive revenue and reach through a new generation of network services. Thousands of organizations serving billions of people worldwide rely on Intelsat to provide ubiquitous broadband connectivity, multi-format video broadcasting, secure satellite communications, and seamless mobility services. The end result is an entirely new world, one that allows us to envision the impossible, connect without boundaries and transform the ways in which we live.

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