Northrop Grumman will deliver two of its GeoStar-3 satellites, each equipped with a high-quality, C-band payload.
Luxembourg-based SES has ordered an immediate four new satellites from US manufacturers to replace the C-band capacity the company is surrendering as part of the FCC’s accelerated C-band clearance plan, with Northrop Grumman and the Boeing Company to manufacture and assemble the C-band only satellites in Dulles, Virginia, and in Los Angeles, California.
The FCC has specified that, by the end of next year (December 5, 2021) they must free up all their services in the bottom 180 MHz of the overall 300 MHz plan. The FCC requirements are straight-forward however, the timetable is extremely tight and doesn’t officially permit delays, whether through ‘force majeure,’ further developments with COVID-19 or even satellite failures. The work isn’t limited to the satellite builders - this also means a ton of work for contractors and sub-contractors as they fit tens of thousands of filters and other apparatus at the head-ends of the operator’s clients’ sites across the country. SES and Intelsat will order as many as 13 US-built satellites that will require at least 6 rocket launches in order to meet the FCC’s ruling to free up an overall 300 MHz (280 + a 20 MHz guard band) by December 5, 2023.Īdd to that 13 will be another satellite ordered by Eutelsat, although it is, as of this writing, unclear as to who will win that order. The C-band conversion process has resulted in a - probably - once in a lifetime boost to US satellite orders.
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