Hispasat opens new era in satellite communications with Amazonas Nexus

Hispasat press release

Cape Canaveral, February 7, 2023.

Hispasat has opened a new era in satellite communications today with the launch of the Amazonas Nexus. It is a high-performance geostationary satellite that will allow high-speed internet access throughout the Americas, the northern and southern corridors of the Atlantic and in remote areas like Greenland and the Amazon jungle. It is specially designed to offer high-quality connectivity on planes and ships and will effectively contribute to reducing the digital divide in Latin America in an agile and efficient way.

The mission has been carried out successfully from the Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) of the US Space Forces station in Cape Canaveral (Florida) using a Falcon 9 rocket from the SpaceX company.

With this operation, Hispasat becomes the first satellite operator in the world to offset the carbon footprint derived from the entire launch process. This action will be carried out through Sylvestris and is circumscribed within the sustainability commitment assumed by Redeia in all its activities.

New technology

This new satellite represents a technological advance that reinforces Hispasat's position at the forefront of the satellite industry. The Amazonas Nexus, built on Thales Alenia Space's Spacebus NEO platform, features a state-of-the-art Digital Transparent Processor (DTP). It allows communications to be established with a single hop throughout its coverage area and provides maximum flexibility that will facilitate its adaptation to the changes that occur in the demand for services throughout its more than 15 years of useful life.

Given its multipoint architecture, the Amazon Nexus can reuse the transmission frequency and therefore increase its performance in orbit. In addition, it is an electrically powered satellite. For this reason, it is lighter (4.1 tons of launch mass), reducing the costs of putting it into orbit, although due to this its arrival in geostationary orbit will take until July. After carrying out the last tests in orbit, the satellite will be located in its final position at 61º West and will enter service.

The Amazonas Nexus has been manufactured at the Thales Alenia Space facilities in Cannes (France) and has significant participation from the Spanish aerospace industry through companies such as Thales Alenia Space Spain, Sener, GMV and Aicox, among others.

Economic profitability

The new satellite project has been carried out with an investment of around 300 million euros, which will be recovered from the moment it is fully operational. Since its launch, Hispasat has reached several commercial agreements for the long-term lease of 60% of the capacity of the Amazonas Nexus with operators and service providers in the governmental sphere, as well as in connectivity for the aviation sector. and in remote environments.

Thus, the Nexus carries Greensat payload on board for Tusass, Greenland's national communications company. Therefore, it will provide internet access services in all the cities and remote towns in North and East Greenland that today have satellite service; as well as corporate solutions for mining companies and backup for the restoration of communication services in case of emergency.

This new satellite also incorporates for Artel the Pathfinder 2 mission of the US Space Force. This mission includes rigorous levels of protection that meet the high security requirements demanded by the Department of Defense. For a greater guarantee, the Amazon Nexus is equipped with the advanced CNSSP-12 encryption system for telemetry and remote control, which makes it much more secure and suitable for critical missions.

In addition, Hispasat will provide Intelsat with several gigahertz of Ku band capacity on board the Amazonas Nexus to provide air connectivity services in the Americas and in the Atlantic region.

The president of Redeia, Beatriz Corredor, stated that "this is a project that perfectly summarizes the spirit of Redeia as a global operator of essential infrastructure, since it will be able to carry such a basic asset in today's society as connectivity. A project that, in short, contributes to social and territorial cohesion and that, I am sure, will strengthen solid, diverse and sustainable development.”

The president of Hispasat, Jordi Hereu, highlighted that “Amazonas Nexus opens a new stage. It will allow us to open new markets and fulfill our commitment to citizens to prevent the digital divide from continuing to grow and so people have access to digital rights, education and healthcare in remote places. From here we want to thank SpaceX and Thales Alenia Space and the entire Hispasat team for the work they have done.”

Hispasat CEO, Miguel Ángel Panduro, explained that “our satellite begins its journey towards its final position from which it will offer the most advanced services to America, Greenland and the north and south corridors of the Atlantic. Thus, a new period begins in this mission, just as crucial as the launch period, but lasting several months, until its entry into service.”

For more information:

Components of the Amazon Nexus mission

The launch of the Amazon Nexus, step by step

The phases of the Amazon Nexus mission

About Hispasat

Hispasat, Redeia's satellite operator, works with the aim of helping citizens overcome the digital divide and promote sustainable development of society. It is the main communications bridge between Europe and America as a provider of broadband and connectivity services through its companies in Spain and Latin America, where its Brazilian subsidiary Hispamar is located. In addition, it leads the dissemination and distribution of audiovisual content in Spanish and Portuguese, including the transmission of digital platforms for Direct Home Television (DTH) and High Definition Television (TVAD). Hispasat is the main driver of innovation in the Spanish aerospace sector and is committed to sustainability throughout its value chain. These activities make it one of the world's leading companies by revenue in its sector.