Matthew Nelson
Maxar Technologies has been tapped by Intelsat to build a geostationary communications satellite that will work to provide high-throughput network coverage across North and Central America.
The Intelstat 40e is designed to support managed services users and will house NASA’s Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution, or TEMPO, space-based instrument, Maxar said Monday.
NASA chose Maxar in 2019 to operate the TEMPO payload. Maxar will integrate TEMPO with the satellite prior to the launch that the company expects to take place in 2022.
Maxar noted the findings from the TEMPO payload will potentially optimize air-quality forecasts and allow early pollution incident warnings in the U.S.
Stephen Spengler, CEO at Intelsat, said the satellite will join the firm’s Epic platform, a system that employs C-, Ku- and Ka- frequency bands to support customers.
