Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) (NASDAQ: LORL), the world’s leading provider of commercial satellites, today announced that the SES-5 satellite, designed and built for SES (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG), was launched yesterday and is successfully performing post-launch maneuvers according to plan. The satellite deployed its solar arrays on schedule following its launch aboard a Proton Breeze M vehicle provided by International Launch Services (ILS) from the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan. The satellite will begin firing its main thruster later today in order to start maneuvering into geosynchronous orbit.
SES-5 is a complex, multi-mission satellite that will provide service in four frequency bands to Europe and Africa. It includes an L-band payload for the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), which is an example of SS/L’s experience in integrating government and institutional payloads on commercial spacecraft.
“We are pleased to see the successful launch of this complex satellite and the beginning of the post-launch maneuvers,” said John Celli, President of Space Systems/Loral. “I’d like to thank everyone at launch base and the teams that saw SES-5 through from design to launch for their hard work and commitment to making this satellite program a success.”
SES-5 will be positioned at 5 degrees East longitude where it will deliver high performance Direct-to-Home (DTH) services, broadband, maritime communications, GSM backhaul, and VSAT applications in Europe and Africa. The EGNOS navigation payload, which was built based on requirements from the European Commission (EC), will augment existing satellite positioning services, and enable global users to benefit from expanded navigation signals, particularly for safety critical aviation and maritime applications.
“Space Systems/Loral has been an important contributor to our recent fleet expansion,” said Martin Halliwell, chief technology officer of SES. “State-of-the-art satellites such as SES-5 help us maintain our high-quality service and meet the growing demand for bandwidth around the world.”
SES-5 has 36 active Ku-band transponders and two Ku-band beams, one serving customers in the Nordic and Baltic countries and the other serving Sub-Saharan Africa. It also has two C-band beams, one with global coverage and one with hemispheric coverage, which can be operated with up to 24 active C-band transponders. The satellite also provides Ka-band uplink capability, allowing for flexible operations between Europe and Africa. It is based on SS/L’s highly reliable 1300 platform, which is well-suited for multi-mission satellites because of its size and high power capability. With this launch, there are 71 SS/L-built satellites currently on orbit.
About SES
SES is a world-leading satellite operator with a fleet of 51 geostationary satellites. The company provides satellite communications services to broadcasters, content and internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators and business and governmental organisations worldwide.
SES stands for long-lasting business relationships, high-quality service and excellence in the broadcasting industry. The culturally diverse regional teams of SES are located around the globe and work closely with customers to meet their specific satellite bandwidth and service requirements.
SES (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) holds participations in Ciel in Canada and QuetzSat in Mexico, as well as a strategic participation in satellite infrastructure start-up O3b Networks. Further information under: www.ses.com.
About Space Systems/Loral
Space Systems/Loral, a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications (NASDAQ: LORL), has a long history of delivering reliable satellites and spacecraft systems for commercial and government customers around the world. As the world’s leading provider of commercial satellites, the company works closely with satellite operators to provide spacecraft for a broad range of services including television and radio distribution, digital audio radio, broadband Internet, and mobile communications. Billions of people around the world depend on SS/L satellites every day. For more information, visit www.ssloral.com.
About Loral Space & Communications
Loral Space & Communications is a satellite communications company. Through its Space Systems/Loral subsidiary, the company is a world-class leader in the design and manufacture of satellites and satellite systems for commercial and government applications including direct-to-home television, broadband communications, wireless telephony, weather monitoring, and air traffic management. Loral also owns 64 percent of Telesat, one of the world’s largest providers of satellite services. Telesat operates a fleet of telecommunications satellites used to broadcast video entertainment programming, distribute direct-to-home video and broadband data services, and other value-added communications services. On June 26, 2012, Loral announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to sell Space Systems/Loral to MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (TSX: MDA). The closing of the transaction is subject to regulatory and other customary closing conditions.
For more information, visit Loral’s Web site at www.loral.com.
