SKY Perfect JSAT Books SpaceX to Launch Three Next-Gen Satellites
Japan’s SKY Perfect JSAT has signed contracts with SpaceX to launch its next-generation communications satellites JSAT-31 and JSAT-32, adding to its previously announced Superbird-9 mission. The three spacecraft will launch sequentially beginning in 2027, marking a significant modernization of Japan’s largest satellite operator as it prepares for emerging NTN-integrated services.
JSAT-31 and Superbird-9 both feature fully digital, flexible GEO payloads, enabling dynamic in-orbit reconfiguration of beams, coverage zones, and capacity, capabilities increasingly aligned with 3GPP NTN requirements, multi-orbit architectures, and future direct-to-device service models. JSAT-32 will introduce a substantial boost in Ka-band throughput, doubling SKY Perfect JSAT’s total fleet capacity and strengthening support for high-demand mobility segments including aero connectivity and national-security communications.
For NTN strategy, the upgraded GEO fleet positions JSAT to support higher-capacity backhaul and hybrid NTN/terrestrial integration across Japan and APAC, enable flexible beam steering for resilient emergency communications and surge-capacity scenarios, and serve as an anchor GEO layer for future multi-orbit networks, as APAC operators begin exploring 5G-NTN services and coexistence with LEO constellations
SKY Perfect JSAT’s long-running partnership with SpaceX includes past launches of JCSAT-2B, JSAT-14, and JCSAT-1C.