SES-4 Successfully Performs Post-Launch Maneuvers

[philanna1]

Press Release

Feb. 16, 2012, 11:00 a.m. EST
Space Systems/Loral-Built SES-4 Successfully Performs Post-Launch Maneuvers

PALO ALTO, CA, Feb 16, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) LORL +2.34% , the world's leading provider of commercial satellites, today announced that the SES-4 satellite, designed and built for SES (euronext paris:SESG) (luxem:SESG), is successfully performing post-launch maneuvers. The satellite deployed its solar arrays yesterday following its launch on Tuesday aboard a Proton Breeze M launch vehicle, provided by International Launch Services (ILS), from the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan. Later today, it will fire its main thruster in order to begin maneuvering into geosynchronous orbit.

"As the most powerful satellite in the SES fleet, SES-4 will provide new, state-of-the-art satellite capacity across three continents," said Martin Halliwell, Chief Technology Officer of SES. "This is our second SS/L-built satellite to launch in the last six months, and we continue to work closely with SS/L on another important addition to our fleet, which is scheduled to launch later this year."

SES-4 is a C- and Ku-band satellite designed to provide Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) to the Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. With approximately 20-kW end-of-life power, it is based on the decades-proven SS/L 1300 platform, which has the flexibility to support a broad range of applications and technology advances. When the satellite completes in-orbit testing, it will replace NSS-7 at 338 degrees East longitude.

"Space Systems/Loral and SES share a commitment to excellent service and reliability," said John Celli, President of Space Systems/Loral. "With the launch of SES-4, there are now three SS/L-built satellites in the SES fleet, where they provide much needed communications and entertainment services across numerous regions."

SES-4 is SS/L's seventh 20-kilowatt satellite to be placed into orbit. It has more transponders than any other satellite in the SES fleet with 52 C-band and 72 Ku-band transponders. With this launch, there are 67 SS/L-built 1300 platform satellites currently in orbit.

[Hyper]

Successfully Performs Post-Launch Maneuvers

Allright!

That is good news.

Maybe SES-4 will be online soon and we get some new ITC channels.

I love it when new satellites are launched, come online.

It tells me we will be having sat tv to watch for years, heck decades to come.


 

[bynch]

wish it was going to amc 1 103w get rid of that crazy skew problem but more sats are good was watching amc 6 the other day they were bragging about cisco streaming they used then the guy they was talking to went dark sats will be around a long time to come

[Copykat]

Maybe SES-4 will be online soon and we get some new ITC channels.
I love it when new satellites are launched, come online.
It tells me we will be having sat tv to watch for years, heck decades to come.


 

In the case of this particular satellite, I agree!  The previous satellite close to this location had all sorts of feeds on it in Ku.  When NSS 7 replaced it, those feeds were gone.  I'm hoping for more feeds with this replacement.  (Due to where my Ku and C-Band dishes are located I can only get Ku from this satellite.)

Seems like every time a satellite changes, if there were lots of feeds, there are now few to none.  And vice versa.  For both C and Ku Bands.