Advanced Television

SES predicts end of ‘big’ Geo satellites

February 13, 2026

SES of Luxembourg is the world’s largest operator of geostationary (Geo) satellites. Geo craft operate at 35,786 kms above the Equator. Buying Intelsat and its Geo fleet means that it has around 100 Geo craft in its overall portfolio.

Dr. Bryan Benedict, Senior Director of Innovation at SES Space & Defence, speaking at the SmallSat Symposium in Mountain View, California, told delegates that buying Intelsat was a necessary tactic for survival.

“Our competition is not other Geo operators, but proliferated LEO [operators],” he said, adding that the majority of its 100-craft existing fleet will not be replaced like-for-like. “The business case for them no longer closes.”

The backbone of the SES balance sheet was Direct-to-Home television, with one signal reaching millions of homes. Those ‘cash cow’ days are already under threat with some major broadcasters talking about ending their satellite-based signals and switching to fibre or wireless.

Benedict explained that under the traditional heritage model, a satellite paid for itself in five to seven years, generating pure profit for the subsequent decade. That window has slammed shut.

“Now you might get your money back at the end of 15 years, and that’s the life of the satellite,” Benedict stated, “So that business case, when you take into account the risk involved, just does not work.”

He also explained that the giant 6,000 kg Geo craft were being replaced by smaller, sub-1,000 kg craft and where if one failed the network survived. This new strategy, described as seeing the Geo satellite being gentrified and replaced by smaller, cheaper and more agile structures.

SES already has some of these smaller, cheaper satellites on order. Its ‘HummingSat’ order with SWISSto12 for four satellites will see the first of this new fleet launched in 2027.

Viasat/Inmarsat also has plans for three HummingSats in place.

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