Eutelsat has said that its new Eutelsat 21B satellite has arrived at the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
The launch will take place on November 9 onboard an Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket.
Thales Alenia Space built the Eutelsat 21B satellite for the operator using its Spacebus 4000 platform.
The 40-transponder Ku-band satellite will occupy the 21.5 degrees East position developed by Eutelsat since 1999 into a location of choice for telcos, enterprises and government administrations operating in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. Its deployment will enable Eutelsat to boost capacity at this sought-after location by almost 50%.
Eutelsat’s newest satellite will replace Eutelsat 21A which will subsequently be redeployed to another location for continued commercial service.