World's first commercial fully re-programmable satellite 'Eutelsat Quantum' lifts off

The European Space Agency on July 30 launched the world's first commercial fully re-programmable satellite. Eutelsat Quantum, the world's first commercial fully re-programmable satellite lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on Friday. The European Space Agency (ESA) took to its official Twitter handle to share a picture of the Eutelsat Quantum satellite lifting off and in the caption, the space agency mentioned that it is the "first commercial fully flexible software-defined satellite in the world."

The first commercial fully re-programmable satellite launched

In the official news release, the European Space Agency revealed, "Following a series of burns controlled by Ariane’s computer, the Sylda structure encasing the 3461 kg Eutelsat Quantum payload was then jettisoned before Eutelsat Quantum was released into its own geostationary transfer orbit." Eutelsat Quantum was developed under a European Space Agency partnership project with satellite operator Eutelsat and prime manufacturer Airbus. The news release said that Eutelsat Quantum is the first commercial fully flexible software-defined satellite in the world. It is the first reprogrammable commercial telecommunications satellite to operate in a high-frequency radio range called the Ku band that is used for data transmission. 

According to the news release, the satellite can be reprogrammed in orbit. The Eutelsat Quantum can respond to changing demands for data transmission and secure communications during its 15-year lifetime. The beams of Eutelsat Quantum can be redirected to move in almost real-time to provide information to passengers onboard moving ships or planes. The beams can be easily adjusted to give more information when demand increases. The satellite can also detect and characterise any rogue emissions, enabling it to respond dynamically to accidental interference or intentional jamming. Daniel Neuenschwander, ESA Director of Space Transportation in the press release said, “Every launch is exciting. Ariane 5 is the pride of Europe and continues to be the cornerstone of Europe’s access to space". Neuenschwander added that Eutelsat Quantum is the result of an "ESA–industry partnership that brings a world first to telecommunications."

IMAGE: ESA/Twitter