Japanese satellite operator Sky Perfect JSAT Corporation has selected SpaceX’s Starship for the launch of its Superbird-9 communications satellite.
It is one of the first contracts to be announced by a commercial satellite operator for a Starship launch.
Starship, designed to carry 21 tons of payload to geostationary transfer orbit and more than 100 tons to low Earth orbit, is also set to play a critical role in launching a proposed second-generation of SpaceX’s Starlink broadband satellites.
Superbird-9 is a fully digital in-orbit reconfigurable telecommunications satellite based on the Airbus OneSat platform. It will deliver broadcast and broadband missions in Ku-band over Japan and Eastern Asia, covering everything from direct-to-home (DTH) broadcasting, to broadband high-throughput service including maritime and aero connectivity.
Superbird-9 will be launched by SpaceX’s Starship launch vehicle in 2024 to geosynchronous transfer orbit.
Sky Perfect JSAT and SpaceX will continue to work together ahead of the launch of the Superbird-9 Satellite.
The operator expects to invest 30bn yen ($222n) in the satellite project.
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