Eutelsat 117 West A, formerly Satmex 8, is a geostationary

communications satellite A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio telecommunication signals via a transponder; it creates a communication channel between a source transmitter and a receiver at different locations on Earth ...

operated by Eutelsat. Previously operated by

Satmex Satmex (Satélites Mexicanos) was a company set up in Mexico in the mid-1990s through 2014 that operated space communication satellites that provide services to the Americas. In 2014, it was acquired by Eutelsat, and Eutelsat now operates the t ...

, it was launched by a

Proton-M The Proton-M, (Протон-М) GRAU index 8K82M or , is an expendable Russian heavy-lift launch vehicle derived from the Soviet-developed Proton. It is built by Khrunichev, and launched from sites 81 and 200 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Ka ...

Briz-M The Briz-K, Briz-KM and Briz-M (russian: Бриз-К, КM and M meaning ''Breeze-K, KM and M'') are Russian liquid-propellant rocket orbit insertion upper stages manufactured by Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center and used ...

rocket in March 2013 to replace

Satmex 5 Satmex (Satélites Mexicanos) was a company set up in Mexico in the mid-1990s through 2014 that operated space communication satellites that provide services to the Americas. In 2014, it was acquired by Eutelsat, and Eutelsat now operates the ...

, and is being used to provide communication services to North, Central and South America, with

broadband In telecommunications, broadband is wide bandwidth data transmission which transports multiple signals at a wide range of frequencies and Internet traffic types, that enables messages to be sent simultaneously, used in fast internet connections. ...

, voice and data transmission, and video broadcasting services. The satellite was transferred from Satmex to Eutelsat when the companies merged in 2014, being renamed as part of the Eutelsat fleet in May 2014.

Specifications

The satellite is model SSL 1300E and carries twenty four C band

transponder In telecommunications, a transponder is a device that, upon receiving a signal, emits a different signal in response. The term is a blend of ''transmitter'' and ''responder''. In air navigation or radio frequency identification, a flight trans ...

s operating with 36 MHz and forty transponders in the operating with 36 MHz.

References

Spacecraft launched in 2013 Satellites of Mexico 2013 in Mexico Eutelsat satellites Communications satellites in geostationary orbit Spacecraft launched by Proton rockets {{communications-satellite-stub