50th SES Spacecraft In Orbit After Successful ILS Proton Launch
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Released on: February 21, 2012, 8:31 am
Author:
SES Astra
Industry:
Telecommunications
SES S.A. (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG)
has announced that the SES-4 satellite roared into space on board an
ILS Proton Breeze M booster. After a 9-hour, 12-minute mission, the
Breeze M upper stage of the Proton rocket successfully released the
SES-4 satellite directly into geostationary transfer orbit.
SES-4 is a 20-kilowatt satellite manufactured on
the flight-proven Space Systems/Loral 1300 platform with 52 C-band and 72 Ku-band
transponders. It has C-band beams serving the eastern hemisphere of Europe and
Africa, full coverage of the Americas, and a global beam to support mobile and
maritime customers. Four high-power, regional Ku-band beams provide service to
Europe, the Middle East, West Africa, as well as North and South America with
extensive channel switching capability between C- and Ku-band transponders for
enhanced connectivity.
SES-4 is the 50th satellite in the global SES fleet and also the largest, most
powerful SES satellite to date. It will replace the NSS-7 satellite at 338 degrees
East longitude and provide replacement as well as incremental capacity at this well
established SES orbital slot over the Atlantic Ocean.
Romain Bausch, President and CEO of SES, declared: "SES is delighted to see the
50th satellite in its fleet successfully launched after two unfortunate
Proton-related launch delays. We thank the launch teams of Space Systems/Loral, ILS,
Khrunichev and SES for their dedicated work. Their relentless efforts ensured
ultimately a total success. After thorough in-orbit testing, SES and its customers
can now look forward to SES-4 providing new, state-of-the-art satellite capacity
across three continents."
"With the successful launch of SES-4, we marked several more milestones with our
longtime customer SES, including the 20th SES satellite launched on ILS Proton and
the 50th satellite in the SES fleet. It is also our 70th ILS Proton launch since the
first launch with SES' ASTRA 1F satellite in 1996. It is an honor for ILS and
Khrunichev to be entrusted with launching the powerful SES-4 satellite and all of
the past and upcoming ILS Proton missions for SES," said ILS President, Frank
McKenna.
John Celli, President of Space Systems/Loral, stated: "I would like to congratulate
SES, ILS and Khrunichev on this successful launch and to recognize the teams from
all of our companies who have worked so hard to assure a perfect launch. Space
Systems/Loral is very pleased to help support SES' fleet expansion and its ability
to provide communications services across the world."
Note to Editors:
The next SES launch is scheduled for Q2, 2012, when an ILS Proton booster will orbit
the SES-5 spacecraft, also manufactured by Space Systems/Loral, from the Baikonur
Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
About SES:
SES carries world-leading satellite operations with a fleet of 50 geostationary satellites (SES satellite footprint maps can be viewed on the SES website). The company provides satellite communications services to content and internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators and business and governmental organisations worldwide, as well as providing media & broadcaster satellites.
SES stands for long-lasting business relationships, high-quality service and
excellence in the broadcasting industry. The culturally diverse regional teams of
SES are located around the globe and work closely with customers to meet their
specific satellite bandwidth and service requirements.
SES (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) holds participations in
Ciel in Canada and QuetzSat in Mexico, as well as a strategic participation in
satellite infrastructure start-up O3b Networks. Further information visit: www.ses.com.
PR Contact:
Yves Feltes
Media Relations
Château de Betzdorf
L-6815 Betzdorf
Luxembourg
+352 710 725 311
www.ses.com
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