Thaicom Public Company Limited has chosen Airbus to provide its latest satellite, a software-defined High Throughput Satellite (HTS). This new satellite, called OneSat, will offer extended connectivity in the Ku-band over the Asia-Pacific region, serving millions of users. Thaicom currently operates eight geostationary satellites, but this will be their first flexible satellite, enabling greater adaptability in terms of coverage, frequency, and capacity.

Positioned at 119.5° East, the state-of-the-art OneSat will allow Thaicom to offer other partner operators access to its satellite’s payload capacity. This will help reduce costs for these operators while still ensuring they have separate control over their individual payload capacity and flexibility. The satellite is expected to be delivered by Airbus in 2027.

OneSat is capable of fully reconfiguring itself on-orbit, allowing for adjustments in coverage area, capacity, and frequency to meet changing mission requirements. The design of the satellite draws on Airbus’ expertise in geostationary telecommunication satellites and their work with OneWeb’s satellite constellation. The development of the OneSat program is supported by the European Space Agency (ESA), the French Space Agency (CNES), and the UK Space Agency.

Jean-Marc Nasr, Head of Airbus Space Systems, expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration with Thaicom, calling it a significant contract and highlighting the flexibility offered by the OneSat product line. Thaicom’s Chief Executive Officer, Patompob (Nile) Suwansiri, expressed confidence in Airbus as the world’s leading satellite technology provider and emphasized the strategic location of the satellite, which will support the growth of Thaicom’s broadband satellite business throughout the Asia Pacific region.

This partnership between Thaicom and Airbus marks an important step in the development of advanced satellite technology, providing enhanced connectivity and flexibility for users in the Asia-Pacific region.