SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation has selected Airbus to build Superbird-9, a fully digital in-orbit reconfigurable telecommunications satellite.
The satellite will be based on Airbus’ standardized OneSat product line. Airbus will provide a turnkey solution, including design and manufacture of the Superbird-9 spacecraft, associated services and support for in-orbit operations and ground segment, as well as an advanced digital suite to manage the digital payload and operate the end-to-end satellite resources.
OneSat will allow SKY Perfect JSAT to replace a key broadcasting mission and to simultaneously deliver fully flexible HTS (High Throughput Satellite) services with powerful performance and a ground-breaking experience for their customers.
Superbird-9 will deliver broadcast and broadband missions in Ku band, primarily over Japan and Eastern Asia. It will bring day-to-day flexibility for the SKY Perfect JSAT fleet enabling payload missions to be configured, adapted and combined to perfectly match end-user needs. This covers everything from DTH broadcasting to broadband HTS including maritime and aero-connectivity services, using the latest innovations in payload technology and in-orbit resource management. SKY Perfect JSAT estimates the total investment including this contract is around 30-billion-yen.
Eiichi Yonekura, SKY Perfect JSAT Holdings Representative Director, President & CEO, said, “Since we launched the first Japanese commercial communications satellite in 1989, we have always been developing innovative space business, with more than 30 satellites in-orbit. We made a prediction of market demand for the coming 20 years on each satellite procurement, which has enabled us to provide best satellite-use solutions to society. Our new Superbird-9 flexible satellite, which is planned to start its service in fiscal year 2024, has highly flexible digital technology on board with rich and variable Ku-band coverage over East-Asian countries. With game-changing capability, we will provide flexible satellite communications service for greater customer convenience. We strongly believe that Superbird-9 will play a significant role in providing our advanced communications service and developing new space business.”
Jean-Marc Nasr, Head of Space Systems at Airbus, said, “This is a landmark contract for Airbus in Japan and it marks the first time a Japanese telecommunications operator has ordered a satellite from Europe. SKY Perfect JSAT’s choice of Airbus to build Superbird-9 to strengthen its satellite fleet is a great endorsement of the cutting edge technology at the heart of our OneSat design. Superbird-9, the 7th software defined OneSat satellite ordered, will deliver powerful performance and a ground-breaking experience for SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation customers. I hope that this contract will pave the way for close future collaboration.”
Superbird-9 at a Glance
| Target Launch Date | 2024 |
| Manufacturer | Airbus |
| Spacecraft Type | OneSat |
| Frequency Band | Ku-band, Ka-band |
| Primary Coverage | Japan and Eastern Asia |
| Service Life: | 15 Years or more |
SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation is Asia’s largest satellite operator with a fleet of 18 satellites, and Japan’s only provider of both multi-channel pay TV broadcasting and satellite communications services. SKY Perfect JSAT delivers a broad range of entertainment through the SKY PerfecTV! platform, the most extensive in Japan with a total of 3 million subscribers. In addition, SKY Perfect JSAT’s satellite communications services, which cover Japan and the rest of Asia, as well as Indian Ocean, Oceania, Russia, Middle East, Hawaii and North America, play a vital role in supporting safety, security and convenience for society as a whole.