Remarkable speed to orbit for SES-9
May 12, 2016
By Chris Forrester
SES-9 is a huge communications satellite and its primary mission is to provide DTH signals over India, South Asia and Indonesia. It was only launched on March 5th (on a Falcon-9 rocket by SpaceX) and is already in orbit, and being fully tested prior to being located in its final orbital position (at 108.2 deg East).
SES-9 will replace NSS-11, and as well as replacement capacity it also brings considerable expansion – and more powerful – transponders to its coverage. As well as DTH transmissions, the existing SES client list includes Data and Video traffic, and VSAT. SES-9 also has two powerful Maritime beams to aid clients.
Deepak Mathur (SVP/Asia-Pacific & ME, at SES) happily gave full credit to SpaceX for helping deliver SES-9 to a “superb transfer orbit, and it looks like saving more than four weeks, perhaps more, over the expected three-to-four months that is normal for an all-electric satellite. Even better is that the electric thrusters themselves have given us about a 10 per cent improvement on the journey. I am super-excited by this new satellite. It has been 3.5 years since design and we cannot wait to get it into position.”