Digitaltveurope.com

Satellite operator Spacecom’s Amos-6 satellite is now scheduled for launch via  a Space-X vehicle in May.

The satellite, which will be co-located with the existing Amos-2 and Amos-3 craft at the 4° West orbital slot, will provide services to Western, Central and Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Its Ka-band beams have been selected by Facebook to be the satellite backbone of its initiative to bring broadband Internet to Sub Sahara Africa with Eutelsat.

The satellite has 39 Ku-band transponders and 24 Ka-band beams to provide a reange of services.

The satellite will launch on a Space-X Falco-9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in the US. The High Throughput Ka-band spot beams will cover Europe and Africa.

In December, Spacecom confirmed the loss of its Amos-5 satellite at 17° Est after the craft suffered an anomaly and lost contact with Earth. The satellite offered a range of DTH, VSAT and broadband services to Africa via a pan-African C-band beam and three steerable Ku-band beams.

“We are excited by Amos-6. It will expand our European coverage throughout all of the continent with a new Pan-European beam and with its HTS Ka-band spot beams, the satellite will take us into new markets and provide tremendous services to our clients,” said Spacecom CEO and president David Pollack.