An SSL facility. Photo: Via Satellite.

[Via Satellite 12-24-2015] Telesat has procured its next satellite, Telstar 18 Vantage/Apstar 5C, from SSL. The satellite will operate from 138 degrees east and will support both Telesat and partner APT Satellite, which will make use of approximately 36.2 transponders for the whole lifetime of the spacecraft.

Telstar 18 Vantage/Apstar 5C is the third satellite with high throughput capabilities Telesat has ordered and, like the others, will support a combination of broad regional beams and high throughput spot beams in Ku-band. The satellite will also provide extensive C-band coverage of Asia that reaches from India and Pakistan in the West all the way to Hawaii in the East, enabling direct connectivity from any point in Asia to the Americas.

Based on the SSL 1300 platform, Telstar 18 Vantage/Apstar 5C is expected to be in service by the first half of 2018. The satellite is designed for an in-orbit life of more than 15 years with electrical output of approximately 14 kW.