SpaceX successfully launched the Intelsat IS-40e communications satellite on April 7, which will help the operator meet the growing demand for connectivity on aircraft and carry its first payload for NASA. Its manufacturer, Maxar Technologies, confirmed that the satellite had deployed solar arrays and received signals after launch at 12:30 ET and sent them into geosynchronous orbit.

The first stage of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle, which took off the IS-40e from the Space Force Station at Cape Canaveral, Florida, also successfully landed on the drone for later use. In an interview, he said it would take three weeks for the satellite to reach its final orbit at 91 degrees west over North America using an onboard chemical engine. Space News Jean-Luc Froliger, Intelsat’s senior vice president of space systems.

“It’s a large satellite with many communications capabilities,” Froliger said, and it will likely take another three weeks to test all of its systems to be up and running by the end of May. Equipped with Ku- and Ka-band capabilities, the satellite weighed about six metric tons when launched and had a power of about eight kilowatts.

The IS-40e also carries NASA’s Tropospheric Emissions: Pollution Monitoring (TEMPO) payload and is touted as the first instrument to monitor air pollution in North America from geo-orbit. Froeliger said this is the first time he has made such a deal with NASA, although Intelsat satellites carry payloads for other government agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration.

Placing payloads on commercial satellites helps government agencies avoid the expense of building a private spacecraft and finance the operator’s costs. However, these arrangements are often associated with logistics and other issues.

The IS-40e’s primary mission is to provide communications for aircraft, boats and ground vehicles operating over North America, with a particular focus on serving the commercial aviation market. Other applications include cellular transport and disaster link tasks.

“This is our first true high-performance satellite over North America,” said Froeliger.

The IS-40e’s final location along the equator will make Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the closest city to the satellite in the United States.

Intelsat previously covered a smaller portion of the United States at 50 degrees west with the Boeing-built IS-29e, but that satellite was declared out of service in 2019 due to a fuel leak. Intelsat is busy making deals with other satellite operators in the region, including Spain’s Hispasat and France’s Eutelsat, in search of more capacity to serve the mobility market.

“Third-party satellites are fine when you don’t have your own solution or your own solution is running late, but having your own solution is the way to go,” Froliger said.

This year, Intelsat will launch its last satellite: Galaxy 37, the latest spacecraft in the operator’s strategy and qualifying for around $5 billion in C-band spectrum revenue. SpaceX plans to launch the Galaxy 37 this summer. In addition to the C band, the satellite has a Ku band payload to meet the high speed broadband needs in North America.