Arianespace Set to Launch Intelsat's Small GEO Satellite

Arianespace has signed a contract with Intelsat to launch the IS-45 small geostationary communication satellite on an Ariane 6 rocket in the first half of 2026. The one-ton satellite, developed by Swissto12, will carry a payload of 12 Ku-band transponders and is based on the HummingSat platform. While the demand for GEO satellites has decreased in recent years due to the rise of broadband constellations in low Earth orbit, launch companies still consider the commercial GEO market to be important and relatively stable, with about 10 launches per year. However, the primary driver of launch demand is now broadband constellations.