Asia’s largest satellite operator SKY Perfect JSAT and Thales Alenia Space, the joint venture between France’s Thales and Italia’s Leonardo announced Monday they have signed a contract to build JSAT-31, a new generation of software-defined satellite.
The satellite will be based on the Space INSPIRE (INstant SPace In-orbit REconfiguration) platform by Thales Alenia Space.
Operating both in Ka and Ku frequency bands, JSAT-31 High Throughput Satellite will offer high speed broadband services over Japan, South-East Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Pacific islands, the press release by the company said.
Eiichi Yonekura, SKY Perfect JSAT President and CEO, said: “SKY Perfect JSAT is aiming to enhance our overall offering by developing innovative, next-generation satellite communications services that embody 'high speed, high capacity, high reliability, user-friendliness and competitive pricing’. The new JSAT-31 will play a key role in our infrastructure with its 50Gbps-class capacity and flexibility as a software-defined satellite.”
“Amidst significant market shifts, including the entry of new players, JSAT-31 will enable us to meet advanced customer needs and cater to the demands of growing markets, particularly in the expanding global and mobile sectors,” Yonekura commented.
“Understanding the significance and importance of this project to SKY Perfect JSAT, I wanted to sincerely thank our new customer for putting its trust in our company along with French and European Space agencies, CNES and ESA, for supporting our new Space INSPIRE product line,” commented Thales Alenia Space CEO, Hervé Derrey.
“SKY Perfect JSAT will benefit from a state-of-the-art telecommunications satellite that provides both a very high performance and a full flexibility in orbit. JSAT-31 is the first telecommunications satellite awarded to Thales Alenia Space in Japan and the first Space INSPIRE satellite in Asia,” Derrey said.
JSAT-31, set to launch in 2027, marks a milestone for SKY Perfect JSAT as it boasts the highest capacity among all their satellites to date.
JSAT-31, which is the 31st satellite procured by SKY Perfect JSAT counting from JCSAT-1, is the first satellite ordered from Thales Alenia Space.
Additionally, starting with this JSAT-31, SKY Perfect JSAT will be calling their new satellites “JSAT” instead of “JCSAT” and “Superbird”.
Thales Alenia Space serves as the primary contractor, entrusted with the satellite's entire lifecycle from design and production to testing and on-ground deployment, including the ground segment and related services.
SKY Perfect JSAT is Asia’s largest satellite operator with a fleet of 17 satellites, and Japan’s only provider of both Multi-channel Pay TV broadcasting and satellite communications services.
Thales Alenia Space delivers cost-effective solutions for telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures. Thales holds a 67% share in Thales Alenia Space while Leonardo owns remaining 33%.
