SES-9 satellite successfully launched

SES-9, which will provide TV coverage and other services to Asia, successfully launched into space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket over the weekend, satellite operator SES has confirmed.

The satellite was launched on Saturday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida and separated from the second stage of the SpaceX rocket 31 minutes later after blast-off.

SES-9 is due to start its services in the third quarter of this year and will be SES’s largest satellite to serve the Asia-Pacific region. It will be co-located with SES-7 at the orbital location of 108.2 degrees East and will replace NSS-11 at that position.

The new satellite’s 57 Ku-band transponders will provide expanded capacity to the growing video, enterprise, mobility and government sectors across Northeast Asia, South Asia, India, Indonesia and the Philippines, according to SES.

“SES-9 is an important building block in our strategy to grow in dynamic regions and four prime sectors – video, enterprise, mobility and government,” said SES’s chief technology officer, Martin Halliwell.

“Co-located with SES-7, the new satellite will reach 22 million TV homes and is designed to deliver high-performing connectivity to homes, enterprises and institutions across Asia.”