[October 30, 2009] SES WORLD SKIES announces successful launch of NSS-12 satellite Tweet Oct 30, 2009 (M2 EQUITYBITES via COMTEX) -- Operator of a satellite fleet SES WORLD SKIES, an SES company (Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG), on Thursday announced that the NSS-12 satellite was successfully launched into space on-board an Ariane 5 ECA booster from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on 29 October 2009 at 20:00 GMT. The company said that approximately 27 minutes after lift-off the spacecraft separated from the Ariane 5 upper stage and was placed into geostationary transfer orbit. Initial signals from NSS-12 were received at a control station in Uralla, Australia at 20:32 GMT. NSS-12 was manufactured by Space Systems/Loral, with launch services on-board Ariane 5 provided by Arianespace. The spacecraft, procured by SES Satellite Leasing Limited in the Isle of Man, is poised to be the 41th satellite in SES' global fleet, the company said. After the launch NSS-9 in February, this is reportedly the second successful Ariane 5 launch of an SES satellite in 2009, and will be the 59th Space Systems/Loral satellite orbiting the earth. SES said that the powerful, state-of-the-art NSS-12 satellite will replace NSS-703 at 57 degrees East and covers virtually the entire Eastern Hemisphere, bringing increased capacity and transmission power to a key orbital location at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia. NSS-12 features 40 C-band transponders and 48 Ku-band transponders with DTH power levels, as well as elaborate beam interconnectivity and C-/Ku-band cross-strapping. The spacecraft will deliver DTH power and performance through four regional Ku-band spot beams over the Middle East and Europe, Central and South Asia and, for the first time, East Africa. Comments on this story may be sent to [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]