SES | LuxStream

Aditya Chatterjee, SVP, Product Management, Aviation for SES answers EWM questions

LuxStream was launched aboard the Vista Global fleet, through a joint offering by SES and Collins Aerospace to provide some of the fastest broadband connectivity for business aviation. What’s the market response been like to this revolutionary inflight connectivity offering?

SES’s LuxStream has seen exciting growth over the last 1218 months, and the breakthrough IFC service is poised to serve even more business jet passengers this year. Business aviation is set to expand post COVID and new users will experience and enjoy the fast connectivity services over our global satellite network.

SES continues to partner with Collins Aerospace to identify and introduce new inflight connectivity offerings that enable business jet passengers to realize the full potential of LuxStream IFC. LuxStream addresses the dynamic business aviation market by enabling even the most discerning business executives to have the same communications capabilities they have at the office in flight.

LuxStream is keeping business jet travelers connected with high-speed broadband for everything from business calls to email, live TV, and web browsing in the sky

SES is the world’s leading satellite operator with a large fleet of satellites in multiple orbits. Can you provide an update on the capabilities across SES’ constellations in geosynchronous (GEO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) orbits?

SES is thrilled to report we have launched new satellites in GEO and MEO orbits that have already had a major impact on the future of connected travel. Our SES-17 satellite launched in 2021 is the most advanced GEO Kaband satellite in our fleet of 70 satellites. And SES-17 is bringing the long-awaited high-speed connected homeand office-like experience to the fingertips of air travelers flying increasingly busy routes throughout the Americas and Atlantic Ocean regions.

On the commercial aviation side, the first rollout of Thales’ FlytLIVE IFC service on SES-17 is especially noteworthy, as Spirit offers inflight Wi-Fi amenities, speeds and service options that aren’t typically available on ultra-low fare carriers. Spirit has transitioned the vast majority of its fleet to Thales’ FlytLIVE connectivity service delivered over SES-17.

Featuring a fully digital payload run by the most powerful digital transponder processor in orbit, unmatched flexibility, and nearly 200 user beams, the SES-17 satellite is not only a serious tech advancement but a major step in the integration of SES’s multi-orbit network.

The spacecraft is interoperable with SES’s secondgeneration O3b mPOWER satellite communications system in MEO orbit, which saw its first two satellites launched late last year. This first-of-its-kind multi-orbit, GEO-MEO capability will ultimately have more gamechanging implications on connected planes, cruise ships, yachts – the whole world of travel. SES will blend GEO and MEO satellite capacity to seamlessly enable connectivity in the air, at sea and on land.

GEO connectivity is ideal for the delivery of live broadcast TV on flights, while MEO, with its inherent low latencies, is better suited for transporting high-speed broadband services. The combination equates to a far better passenger experience, as well as pilots better equipped, for example, with real-time weather reports that allow them to avoid dangerous conditions and turbulence. Business jet travelers are among the most discerning travelers with very high expectations when it comes to the availability and reliability of their onboard connectivity. How is SES’ deep experience in serving the aero market enabling you to effectively address this demanding clientele?

SES is the only operator in the world today running satellite constellations in multiple orbits, and that diversity in coverage and capabilities around the globe enables us to serve the aero market better than ever before. We’ve been enabling global inflight connectivity services for decades, collaborating with the leading connectivity system service providers and airlines to ensure the best possible passenger experience aboard both commercial and business flights. While all airline passengers are more discerning than ever – many reserving and boarding their flights based on the availability of quality IFC services – business travelers want business connectivity services in the air. SES and Collins have raised the bar for inflight connectivity with a future-proof solution that allows us to accelerate the availability of next-gen services, such as cloud-based enterprise applications and streaming media on business jets.

LuxStream is powered by SES’s next-gen Ku-band High Throughput Satellite (HTS) and wide beam satellite technology that drives an exceptional connectivity experience that can be easily customized to the requirements of individual business aviation providers anywhere they fly

SES and Thales demonstrated how an interoperable GEO/MEO platform can change the inflight connectivity game for commercial and business aviation. Can you provide an overview of this disruptive technology and its current readiness for business aviation?

SES launched our advanced SES-17 HTS Ka-band satellite services in GEO last year to enable a new level of support aboard commercial airlines, and we plan to launch our complementary O3b mPOWER MEO services later this year. The combination will represent the first interoperable GEO/MEO platform for very high-speed inflight connectivity services. While these services are currently designed and developed for commercial aviation, SES and our partners will be developing and deploying equally transformational IFC solutions for business aviation. It’s an exciting future of connected travel aboard business jets, and SES is thrilled to be leading the way.

The Iridium constellation is based on 66 satellites orbiting in 11 planes. the service’s high availability is achieved by the addition of 9 on-orbit spare satellites and 6 additional ready to launch in the ground At only 780 kilometers from the Earth, Iridium’s LEO network means pole-to-pole coverage, shorter transmission paths, stronger signals, lower latency, and shorter registration time than with GEO satellites.