Orbital ATK contracted to build Eutelsat broadcast satellite

The company will team with Airbus Defence and Space to build EUTELSAT 5 West B, marking the first time the two have partnered on satellite work. EUTELSAT 5 West B will be based on Orbital ATK’s GEOStar satellite platform while Airbus Defence and Space will provide the communications payload of 35 active Ku-band channels. The spacecraft will be designed, built and tested at Orbital ATK’s satellite manufacturing facility in Dulles, Virginia. EUTELSAT 5 West B will have an operational lifetime of more than 15 years as a broadcast satellite, replacing the current satellite at Eutelsat’s 5° West longitude orbit slot. Once EUTELSAT 5 West B is positioned in geostationary orbit, it will serve mainly video markets in Europe and North Africa. “Eutelsat is a global leader in satellite operations and we are proud to provide them with a spacecraft built on our innovative, reliable and affordable GEOStar product line,” said Amer Khouri, Vice President of the Commercial Satellite Business at Orbital ATK. “With Airbus Defence and Space providing the payload and Orbital ATK using our flight-proven bus design, we are confident the team will deliver a high-quality broadcast satellite.”