Maxar Technologies (NYSE:MAXR) (TSX:MAXR), provider of comprehensive space solutions and secure, precise, geospatial intelligence, today announced that Intelsat 40e (IS-40e) is performing as expected after being launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Shortly after launch earlier today, the satellite deployed its solar arrays and began receiving and sending signals. Next, IS-40e will begin firing thrusters to commerce its journey to final geostationary orbit. Its hosted payload, NASA’s Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) instrument, will begin commissioning activities in late May or early June. Maxar identified the host for TEMPO and integrated the instrument with IS-40e before it was delivered for launch.
Download high-res imagery of IS-40e and TEMPO here: https://maxar.mediavalet.com/portals/is-40e
“Today’s launch shows the value of commercial and government teamwork,” said Chris Johnson, Maxar’s Senior Vice President and General Manager of Space. “We have decades of experience building communications technology and Earth-monitoring spacecraft. This satellite serves both missions, benefitting people on Earth in new ways using Maxar’s expertise.”
Maxar’s 1300-class spacecraft can support optical instruments with fine pointing, low-jitter and high-fidelity sensor data with either a hosted sensor or a dedicated mission. By hosting government payloads on commercial satellites, Maxar can assist government agencies access space without the cost of building a dedicated spacecraft. Similarly, the hosted payload helps the commercial customer share the cost of the satellite bus, launch and operations.
Based on Maxar’s proven 1300-class satellite platform, IS-40e will provide Intelsat customers across North America with flexible, high-throughput coast-to-coast coverage. The additional capacity will also support Intelsat’s growing demand for solving connectivity challenges for commercial and private planes, moving vehicles on land and other mobility applications.
Today’s launch added more Maxar-built spacecraft to Intelsat’s fleet, having recently launched Galaxy 35 and Galaxy 36 at the end of 2022.
