AMC-23 telecom satellite relies on Saab Ericsson Space hardware

Tuesday December 6, a Proton Breeze M launch vehicle will lift the AMC-23 satellite built by Alcatel Alenia Space to orbit from a Baikonur, Kazakhstan launch site. Saab Ericsson Space plays important roles in the launch sequence and in the satellite in-orbit service.

“It has been a busy fall. We have seen our reliable hardware being put into service on numerous occasions lately. As an example our satellite separation systems were used with INMARSAT4-F2, Spaceway-2, Telkom-2 and with Venus Express. With AMC-23 in orbit we are at a total of 352 separations, all successful”, says Bengt Mörtberg, president and CEO of Saab Ericsson Space. AMC-23 was ordered from Alcatel Alenia Space by SES AMERICOM two years ago and is now ready for launch. The satellite has 18 C-band transponders for TV broadcasting, video distribution and internet services and 20 high-power Ku-band transponders to be used to offer airline passengers Boeing Connexion in-flight broadband services in the Pacific region. Saab Ericsson Space has supplied a pair of reflector antennas with Gregorian geometry for the satellite’s Ku-band payload, placed on the earth-facing panel. The antennas and their supporting structures are made of carbon fiber composites to achieve the very low mass and high thermal stability that characterizes Saab Ericsson Space reflector antennas. Saab Ericsson Space has also supplied a global coverage horn antenna used for the Ku-band Beacon mission. A Saab Ericsson Space payload separation system will be used to separate the spacecraft from the Breeze M upper stage of the launcher.