Paris– Eutelsat Communications (NYSE Euronext Paris: ETL) announced that the EUTELSAT 9B satellite is on track for launch by an ILS Proton rocket on 28 January. Lift-off of the five-ton satellite built by Airbus Defence and Space is scheduled at 04:19 am Baikonour time (January 27 – 22.19 GMT, 23.19 CET).

The first of three Eutelsat satellites to launch in 2016, EUTELSAT 9B will be followed into space by EUTELSAT 65 West A and EUTELSAT 117 West B. EUTELSAT 9B is a high-capacity Ku-band satellite for the 9° East position that sits at the crossroads of Europe’s leading video neighbourhoods. Overall Eutelsat capacity will increase to 50 physical transponders (47 equivalent 36Mz transponders), taking this neighbourhood to a new level of performance.

The satellite will replace EUTELSAT 9A that has built a diverse line-up of over 350 channels, of which 100 in High Definition, broadcasting to cable, DTH and DTT homes across Europe and serving clients that include M7 for the KabelKiosk and AustriaSat Magyarország platforms as well as OTE, AFN, Arqiva, Globecast, Media Broadcast and RR Media.

EUTELSAT 9B also hosts EDRS-A, the first node of the European Data Relay System (EDRS) for ESA and Airbus Defence and Space. This new SpaceDataHighway will significantly speed up the flow of information between low-orbit satellites and their ground stations, improving reaction time for a wide range of operations such as disaster monitoring, emergency operations and coastal and maritime surveillance.