Eutelsat Quantum & Star One D2

Star One ordered the new Star One D2 communications satellite from SS/Loral in October 2017. Star One D2 is equipped with C-, Ku-, Ka- and X-band payloads for high-speed telecommunications, television broadcast, and fast broadband in South America, Mexico, Central America, and parts of the Atlantic Ocean. It is designed to provide service for 15 years or longer and is based on the highly reliable SSL 1300 platform, which has the capability to support a broad range of applications and technology advances. Star One D2 is based on the SSL-1300 satellite platform. The satellite is designed to deliver service for 15 years or more.

Eutelsat Quantum is an experimental communications satellite with a software reconfigurable payload It is developed jointly by ESA, Eutelsat, and Airbus Defence and Space. The Quantum programme is a departure from the traditional, custom, one-off approach to building satellites by offering a new and generic payload design. For the first time, it will enable users to request the performance and flexibility they need in terms of coverage, bandwidth, power, and frequency. The satellites developed under the Quantum umbrella will be cheaper and quicker to build compared to current methods by using generic subsystems and equipment, enabling larger-scale production and more efficient control of stock. Quantum will also be able to completely transform in orbit. Once in space, the chameleon-like satellite can adapt to new commands in coverage, frequency band, and power use, and even change its orbital position. This will make it the first generation of universal satellites able to serve any region of the world and adjust to new business without the user needing to buy and launch an entirely new satellite.