UPDATED. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will launch the SES-9 communications satellite on Thursday, following a decision to delay the mission ahead of Wednesday’s attempt.
The SES-9 satellite was originally sceduled to be launched on Wednesday February 24, on a Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Launch from Cape Canaveral is now expected at 18:46:14 local time (23:46 GMT) at the start of a ninety-minute window.
The spacecraft will be deployed approximately 31 minutes after lift-off. SES-9 will use a chemical bi-propellant thruster to complete major post-launch maneuvers. An electric propulsion system will complete the journey to its orbit at 36,000 kilometers above the Equator. The on-orbit maneuvering throughout the 15 year nominal lifetime of the satellite will be done by electric propulsion.
SES-9 is SES’s largest satellite to serve the Asia-Pacific region. It will provide unrivalled and significant expansion capacity to serve the buoyant and fast-growing video, enterprise, mobility and government sectors across Northeast Asia, South Asia, India, Indonesia and the Philippines.
SES-9 will be co-located with another SES satellite, SES-7, at the prime orbital location of 108.2 degrees East, and will replace the NSS-11 spacecraft at that position. SES-9 was built by Boeing Satellite Systems International.
