Artist rendition of an Ovzon satellite. Photo: Ovzon

Ovzon, the Swedish company looking to bring mobile broadband services via satellite, has tapped Arianespace to launch its Ovzon-3 satellite. The satellite will have a mass at liftoff of approximately 1,500 kg. and will be placed in geostationary transfer orbit by an Ariane 5 launch vehicle in 2021 from the Guiana Space Center. The satellite was previously set to launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Ovzon confirmed the switch to the Ariane 5 in an earnings report published last Friday.

Ovzon-3 will feature multiple high-performance steerable beams to meet challenging communication requirements. In addition, the proprietary on-board processor developed by Ovzon enables such new functionalities as single-hop communications between very small terminals, reduced latency and more efficient use of the bandwidth.

Magnus René, CEO of Ovzon AB said: “Arianespace has won our confidence to serve Ovzon for this first launch. Ovzon 3 is an important first step towards fulfilling our strategy to revolutionize mobile broadband by satellite, offering the highest bandwidth with the smallest terminals. Ovzon 3 is the first of a number of satellites planned for global coverage of our high-end service. We are happy to engage Arianespace and Ariane 5, both synonymous with reliability and excellence for our important first launch.”