50th SES satellite ready for launch
November 22, 2011
By Chris Forrester
SES is about to see its 50th satellite added to its fleet. SES-4 has arrived at the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazhakstan ahead of a launch planned for the end of December.
SES-4 will be the largest-ever craft launched for the Luxembourg-based operator. A true giant, it will carry 52 C-band and 72 Ku-band transponders which will serve all of Africa, the Eastern European countries, all of North and South America and will offer clients regional spot-beams that can focus on the Middle East, Europe, West Africa and the Americas.
SES-4 will be launched by International Launch Services aboard a Russian Proton/Breeze-M rocket, and will be placed at 338 deg East (22 deg West) where it will replace the older NSS-7 satellite, which is a key mid-Atlantic locations for SES.
SES-4 was built by Space Systems/Loral, which is also building SES-5.