SES ASTRA's new ASTRA-1M satellite has been successfully deployed at its final orbital position at 19.2 degrees East and is ready for commercial operations.

The satellite, which was built by EADS ASTRIUM and launched from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on November 5th, 2008 has successfully passed all necessary in-orbit tests of the hardware and broadcasting functionalities on board. With its 36 transponders, ASTRA-1M will deliver DTH and HDTV services to continental Europe as well as offering important replacement capacity.