SES New Skies Launches Fleet Development Program; Awards NSS-12 Contract to Space Systems/Loral
SES NEW SKIES awarded Space Systems/Loral a contract to build a high-power telecommunications satellite. A rendering of NSS-12 is pictured here. (SS/L photo)
THE HAGUE, The Netherlands, May 11, 2007 - Satnews Daily - SES New Skies is enlarging its satellite fleet through new hybrid spacecraft procurements, the first of which has gone to Space Systems/Loral (SS/L), a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications (NASDAQ: LORL).
The procurement of the hybrid NSS-12 satellite will be made by SES Satellite Leasing, Ltd, and the satellite will be commercially operated by SES New Skies, a subsidiary of SES Global (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG). Terms of the procurement contract, the first by an SES company with SS/L, remain confidential.
The hybrid NSS-12 satellite is slated for operation at the orbital position of 57° East by mid-2009. NSS-12 will carry 40 x 36 MHz equivalent C-Band and 48 x 36 MHz equivalent Ku-band transponders and will serve as a replacement for the NSS-8 spacecraft that was destroyed on its launch pad in January of this year.
NSS-12 is designed to provide SES New Skies with additional capacity to commercialize and high-power coverage to support the expansion requirements of existing customers while also addressing the growing demand for services in Africa, the Middle East and India. NSS-12 will have a minimum expected lifetime of 15 years. A specific launch vehicle has not yet been chosen.
NSS-12 joins NSS-9, a C-band only satellite already under construction and slated for launch in late 2008, as another element of the expanding fleet available to SES New Skies. In addition to these two satellites, SES is actively planning the procurement of a second hybrid C- and Ku-band satellite that will likely be configured to operate from a number of different orbital slots. The company expects that a firm order for this yet to be named spacecraft will be placed within the next months.
SES New Skies president and CEO Rob Bednarek is confident that SES New Skies' fleet development plans demonstrate a long-term commitment to meet customer needs: "Our new satellites, together with our existing constellation of seven in-orbit spacecraft, allow us to continue to support and expand truly global coverage for our customers, regardless of their location or service needs. Coupled with our history of flexibility, cost-effectiveness and customer focus we believe SES New Skies will become the preferred satellite capacity provider to an ever growing family of customers."
Bednarek said SES New Skies looks forward to its collaboration with Space Systems/Loral on the NSS-12 program. “We are confident that Loral will deliver a quality spacecraft for our use at this important orbital location. We are proud that as promised, in a few short months since the NSS-8 launch failure, we have been able to quickly define, specify and now arrange a replacement, which demonstrates the commitment and strength of SES and SES New Skies."
Bednarek noted the proven performance of the Space Systems/Loral's 1300 spacecraft bus along with the commitment of the entire organization to deliver a high quality product on time were key in SES New Skies’ decision on this procurement.
"As the leader in providing high-power commercial satellites, Space Systems/Loral is especially well-positioned to provide SES New Skies with a spacecraft that will help it meet the growing demand for fixed satellite services around the world," said SS/L president and CEO John Celli. "Our companies share the same commitment to performance, reliability and service and we look forward to this and other opportunities to work together to expand the world's ability to communicate."
Planned for completion in 2009, NSS-12 is designed to add to the strength and global connectivity provided by the SES Group's fleet of more than 40 satellites. NSS-12 will become the second SS/L satellite in the SES New Skies fleet, joining NSS-703, which was part of the original SES New Skies fleet spun off from Intelsat in 1998.
"We're very pleased to win our first award from SES New Skies," Celli said. "Our capabilities-based approach to satellite manufacturing means that SES New Skies will benefit from many years of lessons learned and technical advances. We look forward to delivering an advanced and highly capable satellite that will provide critical communications services for many years."
SES New Skies has expanded its global satellite fleet with the transfer of three SES satellites and one beam over West Africa. Two of the satellites have been renamed as NSS-10 and NSS-11 from AMC-12 and AAP-1, while AMC-23 and the ASTRA 2B maintain their existing names.
The SES New Skies fleet now comprises seven spacecraft optimized for connectivity between the different regions of the world as well as for the provision of regional interconnection and distribution capacity serving those parts of the world outside of Europe and North America. The addition of the new satellite capacity will help fuel future growth for customers.
The SES New Skies satellites are: NSS-11 (formerly AAP-1/Worldsat-1) at 108.2°East; NSS-10 (formerly AMC-12/Astra 4A) at 322.5° East; NSS-806 at 319.5° East; NSS-7 at 338°East; NSS-703 at 57° East; NSS-6 at 95° East and NSS-5 at 183° East
In addition, SES New Skies has also assumed commercial responsibility for the West Africa beam on Astra 2B at 28.2° East. Together, the SES New Skies satellites provide global coverage, with the transferred satellites boosting fleet capacity at SES New Skies by 47 percent, from 215 to 315 transponders. SES New Skies will further enhance its orbital resources through the addition of NSS-9 in 2009. Positioned at 183° East, it will allow NSS-5 to replace the NSS-703 satellite as it nears the end of its life.
