Intelsat Announces Successful Launch of Intelsat 32e, Increasing Throughput for Broadband to Planes and Ships Navigating the High-Demand Caribbean and North Atlantic Routes
Intelsat S.A. announced the successful launch of the Intelsat 32e satellite aboard an Ariane 5 launch vehicle from French Guiana. Liftoff occurred at 16:39 EST. The satellite separated from the rocket’s lower stage at 17:06 EST and signal acquisition has been confirmed.
Intelsat 32e is designed to overlay certain beams of Intelsat 29e, the company’s first Intelsat EpicNG spacecraft, increasing the throughput available in the highly-trafficked Caribbean and North Atlantic routes and providing resiliency for mobility network service providers servicing those shipping and air routes. The satellite is located at 317º East.
“This is the first of three Intelsat EpicNG satellite launches planned for 2017 as we continue to deploy our high-performance overlay on the world’s first Globalized Network. With the addition of Intelsat 32e, Intelsat is now the only satellite operator with HTS resiliency over the world’s busiest air route,” said Stephen Spengler, Chief Executive Officer, Intelsat. “Intelsat 32e also increases our capabilities to support the growth of our maritime customers in the Caribbean and the Atlantic, such as the exclusive use of our services for broadband to most of the world’s largest cruise ships sailing the Caribbean right now.”