SpaceX launches the Eutelsat 10B satellite on Nov. 22. Photo via Eutelsat

Eutelsat’s 10B satellite is on its way to its orbital position after a Nov. 22 SpaceX launch. The satellite, built by Thales Alenia Space, will support in-flight and maritime connectivity. 

SpaceX launched the satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 9:57 p.m. EST. The satellite separated 37 minute into the mission and the spacecraft systems checkout was then successfully completed over a period of approximately three hours.

Eutelsat 10B is an all-electric satellite based on the Thales Spacebus NEO platform, and its final orbital position is 10 degrees East. 

The satellite has two multi-beam high throughput Ku-band payloads. One payload will cover the North Atlantic corridor, Europe, the Mediterranean basin and the Middle East, offering significant throughput in the busiest air and sea traffic zones. The second payload will extend coverage across the Atlantic Ocean, Africa and the Indian Ocean. The payloads will be able to process more than 50 GHz of bandwidth, offering a throughput of approximately 35 Gbps.

Eutelsat has sold more than one-third of its capacity in agreements with several leading in-flight connectivity service providers.

“Congratulations to all the teams, from Thales Alenia Space to SpaceX, and the dedicated Eutelsat launch campaign team, involved in this successful launch. Eutelsat 10B satellite boosts our global connectivity services with High Throughput capacity, meeting increasing in-flight and maritime demand,” said Eutelsat CEO Eva Berneke.