SES is to strengthen its fleet at five degrees East through the procurement of a new satellite from Space Systems Loral. Sirius 4 will launch in the second half of 2007 serving Northern Europe and Africa.
“The investment into a new satellite for the important orbital position 5 degrees East is part of our continuous fleet development and will add significant business potential for Northern Europe and Africa,” said Romain Bausch, president and CEO of SES. “The new satellite will allow us to further drive our DTH business and our international reach.”
Sirius 5 will have 36 Ku-band transponders covering Northern Europe, the Baltics and Africa. An additional 24 C-band transponders will provide broadband, point-to-point and C-band capability. The Ku-band transponders will be commercialised by SES Astra in the African DTH market and by SES Sirius in the Nordic markets, while the C-band transponders will become part of SES New Skies.
Capacity at five degrees East is at premium, last month it was confirmed that SES had leased Telenor’s Thor 2 satellite, giving it additional transponder space through until 2010.
