EchoStar Corp. said it has completed in-orbit testing and handover of the EchoStar XXI satellite from Space Systems Loral, the company that manufactured the satellite.
EchoStar XXI, a satellite that will provide “enhanced” mobile connectivity for Europe, is now in the hands of EchoStar’s satellite operations team, which is managing flight operations from EchoStar XXI’s primary satellite earth location located in Griesheim, Germany, along with a secondary station in Rambouillet, France.
EchoStar XXI, launched on June 8, 2017, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, is located at a geosynchronous orbital location of 10.25° East longitude, and carries an S-band Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) payload that will enable EchoStar Mobile Limited to provide mobile connectivity for small and medium-sized enterprises, large corporations and government agencies throughout Europe.
EchoStar Mobile and EchoStar subsidiary Hughes Network Systems Europe have begun the process of end-to-end integration of EchoStar XXI and the satellite and terrestrial network. EchoStar Mobile said it’s scheduled to launch commercial services across the European Union upon completion of this integration, scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2017.
"The capacity that EchoStar XXI will provide to the EchoStar Mobile satellite-based network will enable reliable, IP-based MSS connectivity for voice and data throughout Europe, including all 28 members of the European Union,” Anders Johnson, executive director of EchoStar Mobile Limited and president of EchoStar Satellite Services, said in a statement.
