On May 27, SpaceX launched the Badr-8 television and telecommunications satellite equipped with an interference-proof optical communications payload demonstrator for Saudi Arabian fleet operator Arabsat. The 4,500-kilogram satellite lifted off at 12:30 am ET in a Falcon 9 from the Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, and separated from the rocket in geosynchronous orbit approximately 37 minutes later.

The rocket’s reusable first stage made its 14th landing using the drone after a mission delayed on May 24 due to bad weather. Airbus Defense and Space, which built the Badr-8 on the basis of the Eurostar Neo platform, announced a successful launch a few hours later.

Using all-electric propulsion, the 17-kilowatt satellite will take a few more months to reach its orbital dock at 26 degrees east, where it will replace Arabsat’s 15-year-old Badr-6 satellite. After 15 years of design life, the Badr-6 showed its age in February when engine failure caused a temporary failure.

The Badr-8 is designed to replace and expand Arabsat’s C-band and Ku-band capacity in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia during its 15-year operational life. The satellite also carries an experimental photonic feed line called Teleo, which Airbus has developed with support from the French space agency.

According to Airbus, the Teleo is designed to provide space for terrestrial optical communications at gigabit speeds. According to Airbus, optical communications are more resistant to interference than conventional radio frequency technology, and the demonstrator is set to play an important role in expanding the manufacturer’s capabilities in this area. The Arabsat fleet consists of 10 satellites in four orbital positions.

The company announced its latest satellite order last year, choosing European competitor Airbus Thales Alenia Space to build Arabsat 7A instead of Arabsat 5A, launched in 2010, with an expected lifespan of 15 years.