The THOR 7 satellite was officially handed over to Telenor Satellite’s satellite control centre at 5pm on June 16, 2015.

With the handover complete, the THOR 7 Ku-band payload, dedicated to DTH services, is now ready for commercial operation. THOR 7’s Ku-band payload of 11 transponders will provide much-needed growth capacity for broadcast and TV services throughout Europe and specifically in Central and Eastern Europe. THOR 7’s location of 1°West is home to the THOR satellite fleet and is one of Europe’s prime satellite locations, reaching close to 18 million households.

“With the Ku-band payload now in commercial service, Telenor Satellite looks forward to growing its European broadcast position,” said Morten Tengs, CEO, Telenor Satellite. “THOR 7 provides the expansion capacity required to satisfy today’s and tomorrow’s growing demands from both our customers and future customers interested in connecting to the 1°West neighbourhood”.

The satellite’s high-throughput (HTS) Ka-band payload will now undergo a further testing phase of its ground infrastructure with test customers. The satellite communications multi-Gigabit HTS payload will address the surge in demand for high-bandwidth requirements from the maritime industry, delivering a bandwidth-efficient service with high bit rates to meet our customers’ growing expectations. The service is expected to be fully operational in Q4, 2015.

Expansion satellite to serve Europe

THOR 7 was successfully launched into space on Sunday April 26, 2015 at 20:00 UTC, from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. On board an Ariane 5 launcher (Arianespace flight VA222), the THOR 7 satellite was successfully injected into geostationary transfer orbit approx. 28 minutes after lift-off.

THOR 7, manufactured by Space Systems Loral (SSL), is Telenor Satellite’s first growth satellite and also features its first high-throughput satellite (HTS) Ka-band payload, specifically designed for the mobility VSAT market to provide high-powered coverage over the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea, the Red Sea, the Baltic Sea, and the Mediterranean.

“I am delighted to see that THOR 7 has safely reached geostationary transfer orbit and thank both Arianespace and our manufacturing partner SSL for this successful launch”, said Morten Tengs, CEO, Telenor Satellite. “From its 1°West location, the THOR 7 satellite will provide growth capacity for DTH services across Central and Eastern Europe and deliver optimal satellite coverage across Europe’s business shipping lanes for the provision of maritime VSAT services.”

THOR 7 will now undergo extensive in-orbit testing and will be ready to deliver DTH services in six weeks. Additional testing will take place on the HTS Ka-band services with a full commercial service to be ready in Q4, 2015.

THOR 7, Telenor Satellite’s first growth satellite, will deliver satellite services throughout Europe. It is now ready for launch aboard the Ariane 5 launcher, designated flight VA222, which will also carry SICRAL 2 for Telespazio on behalf of the Italian Ministry of Defence.

Empowering space data through collaboration

SDA is an international non-profit association of satellite operators that supports the controlled, reliable and efficient sharing of space environment and RF spectrum data. Its membership comprises many of the world’s major satellite communications companies.

“We are pleased to welcome Telenor Satellite as the latest member of the SDA,” commented Mark Rawlins, Chairman, Space Data Association. “We established the SDA in 2009 as we saw a need to coordinate activity and safeguard space-based infrastructure. The more we can engage with those operating in the space environment, the more effective we can be.”

About the SDA

The Space Data Association is a non-profit international association of satellite operators that supports the controlled, reliable and efficient sharing of data critical to the safety and integrity of the space environment and the RF spectrum. It maintains the Space Data Center, a database of high-accuracy orbital information, which is operated by Analytical Graphics, Inc. (AGI) of Exton, PA. Established in the Isle of Man the SDA is open to all satellite operators and other participants.

Membership information can be found at www.space-data.org.