ARSat-SG1 (ARSat-3) at 81° West (Planned)
ARSat-SG1 (ARSat-3) at 81° West (ARSat Second Generation-1), formerly known as ARSat-3, is a geostationary communications satellite (GEO) ordered by satellite operated by ARSAT and is being designed by the INVAP from Argentina.
In 2015 ARSAT announced plans to add the third satellite to their satellite fleet. It was originally expected to be launched on an Ariane 5ECA rocket operated by Arianespace from French Guiana in 2019. ARSat-SG1 (ARSat-3) at 81° West would be the third geostationary satellite built by INVAP, after ARSat-1 and ARSat-2, and would introduce an enhanced bus platform to enable enhanced services.
In 2016 ARSAT decided to restart the project in 2017. It would be a multi spot Ka-band satellite based on the ARSAT-3K platform and have 40Gbit/s of bandwidth. Its foot print would cover Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and part of Paraguay. Most presale contracts were signed during 2015 and were expecting to restart production by 2017 with the company’s own resources.
By 2019 the project was put on hold due to the lack of funding from the Argentine government. The new administration elected in December 2019 agreed to reverse course and officially finance the third satellite, which was now designated ARSat SG-1 (Second Generation-1). This name change reflects major improvements in SG-1’s capabilities compared to the original ARSat-3 design, including high-throughput Ka-band capacity and all-electric propulsion thanks to the new GSATCOM spacecraft bus from GSATCOM, a joint venture formed in 2019 between INVAP and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) of Turkey. SG-1 is planned for launch in 2024.
ARSat-SG1 (ARSat-3) at 81° West (Planned)
