SES launches 1N at second attempt

SES has successfully launched Astra 1N, its latest satellite for European broadcasters.

The satellite was launched on board an Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana, on August 6 at 19:52 local time. It will first provide interim replacement capacity at 28.2° East, and will subsequently be moved to 19.2° East, from where it will mainly serve the German, French and Spanish markets. 
“The successful launch of Astra 1N is another important milestone in our ambitious launch manifest for 2011, which will see four additional SES launches before year-end,” said Romain Bausch, president and CEO of SES. “Astra 1N will greatly enhance the flexibility of SES’s Astra satellite fleet at two key SES orbital slots over Europe and we would like to thank our longstanding partners Astrium and Arianespace for this mission success.”