SES-Astra to move 2C to 31.5 East

SES Astra has announced that it will be moving the Astra 2C satellite from its current orbital position at 28.2 degrees East to 31.5 degrees East to take over the mission of Astra 5A, which is no longer in service.

Astra 2C will be moved to 31.5 degrees East in April and remain there for approximately one year. In the meantime, the services transmitted via 28.2 degrees East will continue to be broadcast from the other satellites co-located at this orbital position.

Astra 2C will be able to operate 24 BSS transponders at 31.5 degrees East, thereby continuing the commercialization of this orbital position.

Following the launch of Astra 3B in the fourth quarter of 2009 and its subsequent deployment, another in-orbit satellite will be moved to 31.5 degrees East, permitting the return of Astra2C to 28.2 degrees East and to enhance capacity at this orbital position.

Ferdinand Kayser, president and CEO of SES Astra, said in a statement: “The move of Astra 2C demonstrates our strong commitment to develop 31.5 degrees East into an important position, especially for Central and Eastern Europe. At the same time our fleet flexibility allows us to redeploy Astra 2C at 28.2 degrees East after the launch of Astra 3B in order to serve the growth in the UK market, particularly coming from High Definition (HD) broadcast services.”