Australian Defence Payload Launches on Intelsat 22

Image: Boeing - Intelsat 22

March 26 saw the Intelsat 22 telecommunication satellite launched successfully on a Proton Breeze M rocket from Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Intelsat 22 satellite was equipped with a UHF payload that was paid for by the Australian Defence Department, under project JP2008 Phase 5A. Including ground enhancements, the project value is around AUD$145M

The Intelsat 22 is a geostationary satellite that was built by Boeing of California which includes C- and Ku- band payloads for commercial applications, but demonstrates a new model of business for Intelsat by co-hosting international defence payloads. Intelsat is highlighting the on-time, on-budget nature of the deal to demonstrate that this kind of acquisition model can deliver a better outcome for defence departments worldwide.

The Satellite is designed for an 18 year lifetime, and was built on the 702MP platform. An interesting video of the Intelsat 22 spacecraft in integration and test is on Youtube here, with a further video on the UHF payload hosted here.

What I have found surprising - the Australia Defence Force seemed to have put out no media release or statement on the successful launch!