SES launches 50th satellite

SES’s 50^th satellite, SES-4, has successfully launched from Biakonur, Kazakhstan.

The satellite, which will replace NSS-7 at the 338° East orbital position, launched yesterday at 20:36 CET. It is equipped with 52 C-band and 72 Ku-band transponders and 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 channel switching capability between C- and Ku-band transponders.

Romain Bausch, president and CEO of SES, said: “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.”