Telstar 12’s footprint.
The Telstar 12 Vantage satellite will replace the Telstar 12 satellite and expand is coverage.
Image credit: Telesat

[Via Satellite 09-09-13] Telesat, a global satellite operator, has procured a powerful, multi-mission satellite from Astrium that will replace the Telstar 12 satellite at 15 degrees west while significantly expanding coverage of growing markets in South America, the Atlantic and Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The high throughput satellite is expected to launch in late 2015.

The new satellite, called Telstar 12 Vantage, will use a combination of broad regional beams and more focused high throughput spot beams to increase capacity and offer performance for broadband networks on the ground, in the air and at sea. By using Ku-band across all coverage beams, Telstar 12 Vantage will be fully backwards compatible with existing Ku-band terminal equipment.

In addition to optimizing coverage of the regions now served by Telstar 12, Telstar 12 Vantage provides new, high capacity coverage of Brazil and East Africa and builds on Telesat’s position in mobility and energy services with new coverage of the Caribbean, Mediterranean, South Atlantic and North Sea from its central orbital location of 15 degrees west.