GSSF: All Ka-band capacity sold on upcoming Arabsat 5C

Saudi-Arabia based operator Arabsat says that it has now sold all the Ka-band capacity on Arabsat 5C, which is due to launch in mid August/September 2011.
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Khalid Balkheyour, Arabsat President and CEO, told GSSF that government contracts will account for the entire Ka-band, high-bandwidth spectrum on the new satellite.
 
Arabsat 5C is scheduled for a launch into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) on an Ariane 5 ECA from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The launch of Arabsat 6B is scheduled from the second half of 2012.
 
The Arabsat 5C and 6B satellites are being built by EADS Astrium and Thales Alenia Space. Astrium will supply the Eurostar E3000 platforms and handle satellite integration, while Thales Alenia Space will supply the payloads.
 
Arabsat 5C will be fitted with 26 active C band and 12 Ka-band transponders, and will be positioned at 20 degrees East.
 
Balkheyour said that demand for capacity in the MENA region is still increasing as more and more communities want broadband connectivity.