Intelsat has announced the successful launch of 40e (IS-40e), a geosynchronous satellite that relies on spot-beam technology to provide a large amount of capacity over North America for its commercial aviation, mobility and network service customers.
Dave Wajsgras, CEO at Intelsat, said: “The IS-40e high-throughput technology serves as a significant commitment to our North American commercial aviation, mobility and network customers. As we continue to refresh our fleet of satellites and add capacity, Intelsat is focused on providing the best value and service for our customers and their end users. The satellite also includes a NASA payload that will be the first instrument to monitor air pollution across North America from geostationary orbit.”
The Maxar-manufactured IS-40e satellite was launched aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
When operational in May, IS-40e will be positioned at 91 degrees West and deliver a wide range of services and coverage.
In addition, IS-40e hosts NASA’s, “Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring Pollution” or TEMPO payload. Operated by Intelsat, the TEMPO instrument will monitor and track air pollution across North America on an hourly basis with the ability to stay over a region of interest during a natural disaster like a major fire or volcano eruption.
When TEMPO starts operations this summer, scientists with Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory will send commands through the Intelsat custom-built software to the instrument and instruct it on where and when to scan. Raw data from the observations will be transmitted back down to an Intelsat ground station and made available for the scientists.
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