An all-electric Boeing satellite was just launched and it has something other satellites don’t: 3-D-printed parts.
Called the SES-15, it will improve in-flight WiFi and entertainment for passengers flying over North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. The new satellite will enable passengers to access full, seamless WiFi coverage all the way from New York to Hawaii to Alaska to Mexico.
This state-of-the-art spacecraft is the first Boeing satellite to use 3-D printed parts, proving that 3-D printing can be used for high-tech applications.
“SES-15 is really a marvel of innovation,” said Mark Spiwak, president of Boeing Satellite Systems International, the spacecraft’s manufacturer. “We’re now using a lot of these technologies, whether it be all-electric (propulsion) or printed parts, across all of our product line,” Spiwak said.
SES-15 will also improve GPS navigation data over the U.S., particularly information used by pilots and air traffic controllers to improve aircraft spacing and positioning around busy airports and in inclement weather.