Luxembourg-based SES saw its latest satellite, SES-4, successfully launched late on Feb 14 (at 20.36 CET time). It was a suitable Valentine’s Day gift for the operator, and is the 50th craft in the expanding SES fleet.

SES-4 was launched into orbit by International Launch Services (ILS) which uses the Russian Proton rocket system which, despite two enforced delays for technical glitches, performed flawlessly. Indeed, SES-4 is the 20th SES craft to be launched by Proton.  After 9 hours 12 minutes of transfer orbit flight the Breeze-M upper stage successfully released the satellite into orbit.

The new satellite, built by Space Systems/Loral is the largest-ever in the SES fleet, will replace NSS-7 at 338 deg East of London, and bring 52 C-band and 72 Ku-band transponders into use.  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.

However, neither SES, ILS/Proton or Space Systems/Loral engineers can rest. SES’ next craft, SES-5, is slated for launch in a few months from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Other posts by :

1. Rocket Lab confirms D2C ambitions
2. Turkey establishes satellite production ecosystem
3. Italy joins Germany in IRIS2 alternate thoughts
4. Kazakhstan to create museum at Yuri Gagarin launch site
5. AST SpaceMobile gets $42 or $1500 price target
6. Analyst: GEO bloodbath taking place
7. SES AGM results: Appaloosa still objecting
8. SpaceX’s Shotwell worth $1.2bn
9. SpinLaunch’s revolutionary plan for 280 satellites

Categories: Articles, DTH/Satellite