The next SpaceX rocket launch is coming up, and it's not a batch of Starlinks.

A satellite known as SpainSat NG-1 is set to lift off atop a Falcon 9 rocket between 8:34 p.m. Wednesday and 1:53 a.m. Thursday from Kennedy Space Center's Pad 39A.

This satellite is part of the company's SpainSat NG (New Generation) program. The two satellite program − SpainSat NG-1 and NG-2 − is a partnership between Hisdesat and the European Space Agency (ESA).

According to Hisdesat CEO Miguel Ángel García Primo, the satellite "is an international provider of X and military Ka-band for European government and military applications." It will provide this service over Europe, Africa and the Americas.

"Something as complex as the DRAs antennas in X-Band, an active antenna that can move the beam electronically and can configure the beam electronically without any movement is what makes this satellite the most advanced one in Europe today," said Ángel García Primo in apromotional video for the satellite.

Hisdesat states the satellite includes "beam hoping and geolocation capabilities, enabling artificial intelligence, big data, and an internet of things on the ground."

The antennas were developed by Airbus in Spain. Thales Alenia Space in Spain oversaw the UHF (Ultra High Frequency) and Ka-band payloads.

The satellite is expected to have a 15-year lifespan.

Quelle: Florida Today