The KOREASAT-5A communications satellite, built by Thales Alenia Space for South Korean operator KTSAT (a KT Corporation company), was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida by SpaceX, using a Falcon 9 launcher. Based on Thales Alenia Space’s upgraded Spacebus 4000B2 platform, the satellite, which is equipped with 36 Ku-Band transponders, will provide Internet access, multimedia, broadcasting and fixed communications services for Indonesia, Japan, Korea, the Philippines and the Middle East.

Thales Alenia Space is the prime contractor for KOREASAT-5A, in charge of its design, production and testing, as well as ground delivery. The company is also responsible for its launch campaign, the launch and early operations phase (LEOP) and in-orbit testing (IOT).

KOREASAT-5A is the fourth communications satellite built by the company for KTSAT, following KOREASAT-5, KOREASAT-6 and KOREASAT-7, launched in May. It is also the 35th satellite built by Thales Alenia Space as prime contractor to be launched since the beginning of 2017.

Bertrand Maureau, Thales Alenia Space Executive Vice President, Telecommunications Business Line, commented, “I would like to express my warm thanks to KTSAT for choosing us to build KOREASAT-5A. KTSAT is a long-standing customer and we are delighted to maintain the relationship of mutual trust between our companies that we have established over the last decade. Through this successful launch, we are also proud of our role in supporting the development of large-scale space programs in South Korea, and in Asia in general.”