This summer
a brand-new European telecommunications satellite will launch from Kourou
on board an Ariane 5.
However, this is not your everyday satellite,
Quantum is an advanced telecommunications satellite
that can be reprogrammed and repurposed while in orbit.
This means that Quantum will be able to adapt to changing market
and customer demands,
during its 15-year lifespan
in an environment where technology progresses rapidly
and demands shift.
So traditionally,
our customer asking for missions that are fixed missions with a fixed coverage.
In the case of Quantum,
all the missions will be adaptive in orbit
with the full flexibility that is offering,
being able to adapt,
a change in the market,
a changing their customers,
a change in their orbital positions
for grabbing new businesses, for instance.
So it offers a real asset,
real value to our customers,
on the on the overall lifetime of satellite,
not just for a mission,
but for the complete life of satellite.
Quantum is a software-based satellite
and so it can be reconfigured by users on the ground
and its keyword is flexibility.
Flexibility in power, in coverage and in bandwidth.
For example,
where regular satellites broadcast to Earth with fixed beams,
Quantum allows its users to adjust their beams at the push of a button.
Customers can vary coverage based on their immediate needs
and allocate their resources, accordingly,
allowing for an optimized use of the satellite.
Another important innovation is Quantum’s focus on security.
Thanks to its narrow and specific broadcast beams,
its ability to change transmission frequency and geolocation,
it is near impossible for illicit parties to intercept the satellite’s signals
and hack or jam the satellite.
Quantum is leading in the field for software,
different payloads on commercial spacecraft
because it is the first to respond to a market demand
for ultimate flexibility for customer.
It will be among the first in the commercial market
to carry geolocalisation onboard,
which allows detection and filtering of accidental interfering broadcaster
which have troubled commercial operators in the past.
The concept and technology behind Quantum
have already spilt over
into other commercial programmes to come.
Quantum is a revolutionary satellite design
with a massive commercial potential.
Satellites like Quantum offer the potential to be mass-produced
and to be configured in orbit unlike today’s custom-made satellites.
A quantum leap for the telecommunications satellite industry.
Quantum is a Eutelsat satellite
enabled by ESA
and manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space
through an ESA Partnership Project.
This private-public partnership
offers a wide range of benefits to those involved
as risks can be shared
and new technology fully commercialized.
On Eutelsat quantum project,
the partnership with ESA was key for Eutelsat
to get access to new technology and innovative technology
at an affordable cost.
This satellite is very important for the European Space Agency
and the European industry competitiveness,
the success of Quantum illustrates the difference
that the European Space Agency can make for the industry.
Industry have taken a large step
and will benefit greatly of this programme.
The technology used on Quantum and the commercial potential of the platform
offer another opportunity for the European space industry
to remain at the forefront of telecommunications.
Here the important role and return on investment of ESA partnership projects becomes visible.
For ESA it remains crucial to support European industry
and create the opportunity for innovation as a partner in space.