SES selected Arianespace to launch its SES-17 satellite on an Ariane 5 in 2021 from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. SES-17 delivers high-speed inflight connectivity and high-powered data services over the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean. SES-17 is the 53rd satellite entrusted to Arianespace for launch by SES. SES-17 will be among the 10 largest telecom satellites launched by Arianespace since the company’s founding, weighing more than six metric tons at launch, SES said in a press release.
SES-17 is the third all-electric satellite for which SES chose an Arianespace launch. Built by Thales Alenia Space, the satellite is fitted with an electric propulsion system for orbital positioning and station-keeping. Its payload comprises 200 Ka-band spotbeams. The orbital position of the spacecraft has not yet been disclosed.