SES ASTRA, an SES company (Paris:SESG)(LuxX:SESG), is pleased to announce that its new ASTRA 1M satellite has been successfully launched into orbit. ASTRA 1M roared into space onboard a Proton Breeze M launch vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, yesterday evening at 21.44 (02.44 am local time today). The satellite will be brought into its final orbital position within the next weeks and will be made commercially available in January after extensive in-orbit testing. ASTRA 1M will be located at SES ASTRA’s prime orbital position 19.2 degrees East for delivering Direct-to-Home (DTH) services including HDTV to Continental Europe. The ASTRA satellite fleet delivers high quality broadcasting to over 117 million European homes.
“We are very proud and satisfied that the ASTRA 1M launch has been a success”, said Ferdinand Kayser, President and CEO of SES ASTRA. “ASTRA 1M will benefit our customers and allow them to broadcast additional high definition channels. The success of the ASTRA 1M launch is an important milestone for SES ASTRA and we would like to underline the very good cooperation with our launch partners, International Launch Services (ILS) and EADS ASTRIUM.”
About SES ASTRA www.ses-astra.com
SES ASTRA is the leading Direct-to-Home (DTH) satellite system in Europe. The satellite fleet currently comprises 14 ASTRA and two SIRIUS satellites. The combined satellite system delivers services to more than 117 million DTH and cable households and transmits a total of 2,433 analogue and digital television and radio channels. SES ASTRA also provides satellite-based multimedia, internet and telecommunication services to enterprises, governments and their agencies. With 55 High Definition (HD) channels concentrated on its main orbital positions, ASTRA and SIRIUS represent the most important HDTV platform for Europe’s leading broadcasters. The prime orbital positions for ASTRA and SIRIUS are 19.2* East, 28.2* East, 23.5* East, 5* East and 31.5* East.
SES ASTRA is an SES company (Paris:SESG – News)(LuxX:SESG). SES owns three market-leading satellite operators, SES ASTRA in Europe, SES AMERICOM in North America, and SES NEW SKIES which provides global coverage and connectivity. The company owns 90 percent of SES SIRIUS in Europe, as well as strategic participations in Ciel in Canada and Quetzsat in Mexico. SES provides outstanding satellite communications solutions via a fleet of 39 satellites in 26 orbital positions around the globe. Additional information on SES is available at: www.ses.com
