Hylas-1 net-dedicated satellite ready for launch

The first satellite dedicated to delivering broadband services to Europe is all set for launch, reports BBC News.

The Hylas spacecraft is designed to fill so-called "not spots" - remote locations such as rural villages where it is currently not possible to get a fast internet connection.

The satellite will be carried into orbit on an Ariane 5 rocket. The vehicle is expected to lift off from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana at 1539 local time (1839 GMT).

Hylas (Highly Adaptable Satellite) is a commercial venture operated by start-up Avanti Communications of London, but the spacecraft itself incorporates technology developed with public funding through the European Space Agency (Esa).

"It is a fairly small spacecraft but rather capable," said Esa project manager Andrea Cotellessa.

"The payload has flexibility to reallocate bandwidth and power in each of the eight spot beams that cover key market areas selected by Avanti.

"Normally, satellites have this frequency plan fixed at the design stage and it can't be changed in orbit.

"On Hylas, this can be done at any moment in time from the control centre. This agility is important because it will allow Avanti to keep up with market evolution."

Hylas was prepared at the Portsmouth, UK, factory of EADS Astrium, Europe's largest space company, and in Bangalore by Antrix, a commercial arm of the Indian space agency (Isro).

The 2.6-tonne spacecraft will operate in the Ka radio band and deliver broadband services to some 350,000 subscribers.