Boeing to build All-Electric Propulsion Satellite

FEB 18, 2015: Boeing will build for SES S.A. [Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG] a new, all-electric 702SP satellite that will enable SES’ airline customers to provide in-flight entertainment and WiFi over North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

This is the 12th satellite in more than 25 years that Luxembourg-based SES has ordered from Boeing, and the first of the all-electric propulsion satellites.

“The procurement of SES-15 will strengthen our position in the important North American government and mobility markets,” said Martin Halliwell, chief technical officer, SES. “The hybrid payload with wide beams and high throughput capacity gives aeronautical, maritime and governmental customers unprecedented flexibility to develop next generation data services.”

Boeing will build SES-15 in El Segundo. The satellite, scheduled for delivery in 2017, will include up to an 8 kW payload.

“We designed the 702SP satellite to meet our customer’s mission requirements as efficiently as possible by reducing the spacecraft mass to take advantage of low cost launch vehicles while maximizing the revenue-generating capability of the payload,” said Mark Spiwak, president, Boeing Satellite Systems International.