COM DEV equipment launched on civil and commercial satellites

The Echostar XVII and MSG-3 satellites were launched from French Guiana on July 5 on an Ariane 5 rocket, which carried its 9,640 kg payload to geostationary orbit nearly 36,000 km above the Earth in just 34 minutes.

“This launch illustrates the breadth of COM DEV’s capabilities,” said Michael Pley, CEO of COM DEV.  “Our UK-based division supplied electronics and imaging equipment for a European meteorological satellite, while our international products group provided passive microwave components for a US commercial communications satellite.  It’s this range of capabilities that has enabled COM DEV to fly equipment on more spacecraft than any other company in the world.”

EchoStar XVII is a high-throughput Ka-band satellite that will provide broadband internet services to consumers, businesses and government customers across North America.  With a total capacity exceeding 100 Gbps, the satellite will enable customers to experience faster speeds and the industry’s greatest download capacity. Built by Space Systems/Loral, EchoStar XVII weighed 6,100 kg at launch and will have a solar array wingspan of nearly 40 metres.

MSG-3 (Meteosat Second Generation) will provide meteorologists and weather forecasters with a powerful tool for the detection and prediction of weather-related events. Part of a European family of four geostationary meteorological detection and observation satellites, it will provide highly detailed imagery of Europe, the North Atlantic and Africa. MSG-3 was built by an industry consortium led by Thales Alenia Space, and will be operated by EUMETSAT (the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites).

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