Thaicom Contracts Airbus for a OneSat Flexible Telecommunications Satellite

Thaicom Public Company Limited, a leading Asian satellite operator and space technology company, has selected Airbus for its new generation software-defined high throughput satellite.

Airbus will provide one of its latest designed satellites – a fully reconfigurable OneSat. This Thaicom satellite will provide extended connectivity in Ku-band over the Asia-Pacific region for millions of users. Thaicom has launched and operated eight geostationary satellites. This is Thaicom’s first flexible satellite, allowing for more adaptability on coverage, frequency and capacity which is crucial in such a dynamic region, the company said Sept 11.

Jean-Marc Nasr, Head of Airbus Space Systems, said: “This significant contract with leading satellite operator Thaicom, is the ninth order for our pioneering OneSat product line which is fully reconfigurable in orbit and provides unrivalled flexibility. This collaboration with Thaicom is a first, and we look forward to further building our relationship in the future.”

Patompob (Nile) Suwansiri, Thaicom’s Chief Executive Officer, commented: “I am delighted that we have selected Airbus to build our new generation of software-defined high throughput satellite (HTS). As the world’s leading satellite technology provider, we trust that Airbus will be our best choice for building our new satellite at the strategic location of 119.5 degrees East. It will allow flexibility and instant reconfiguration to adapt dynamically to the service areas and will provide a significant confidence boost for Thaicom’s valued customers and partners throughout Asia Pacific. This is a significant milestone for Thaicom as we forge ahead to further grow our broadband satellite business in the region.”

Positioned in orbit at 119.5° East, this state-of-the art satellite will enable Thaicom to propose to other partner operators a share of its satellite’s payload capacity, lowering their costs and still ensuring they have separate control of their individual payload capacity and flexibility.

Airbus will design and manufacture the satellite, and also provide ground control segment components. Airbus plans to deliver the satellite in 2027.

Airbus OneSat can be fully reconfigured in orbit, capable of adjusting the coverage area, capacity and frequency “on the fly” to meet evolving mission scenarios. It builds on the heritage of Airbus’ ultra-reliable Eurostar geostationary telecommunication satellites and the company’s constellation expertise with OneWeb. Development of the OneSat programme is supported by ESA, as well as the French Space Agency (CNES), and the UK Space Agency. –airbus/adj/mhi (Pix: Airbus)