Betzdorf (Luxembourg) and Kourou (French Guiana), April 30, 2007
SES ASTRA, an SES company (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG), announced today that its new satellite ASTRA 1L is ready for launch on May 3 at the Kourou Space Center in French Guiana. ASTRA 1L has been fully integrated into the fairing of the launch vehicle, an Ariane 5 ECA rocket. The satellite is an A2100 AX type built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems.
ASTRA 1L will be located at 19.2 East, ASTRA's prime orbital position for delivering broadcast services to continental Europe, where it will also transmit the increasing number of HDTV channels. The new satellite will allow SES ASTRA to move its satellite ASTRA 2C from 19.2 East to 28.2 East, in order to meet the high demand for capacity from the U.K. and Irish markets. It will also extend the ASTRA coverage from the Canary Islands in the West to the Russian border in the East and further strengthen SES ASTRA`s unique in-orbit back-up scheme.
Practical information for media
The launch of ASTRA 1L is scheduled for the time window between 0h29 and 1h13 a.m. Central European Time (CET) on 4 May (19h29 and 20h13 local Kourou time on 3 May). The launch will be transmitted life on www.ses-astra.com and www.arianespace.com. The transmission starts 15 minutes prior to launch.
The launch will also be transmitted via ASTRA satellite from the orbital position 19.2 East, downlink frequency: 12.5515 GHz, vertical polarisation, service ID 12122, service name ASTRA Vision 2. TV stations can also pick up the signal from Arianespace. Requests must be posted until 2 May, 4 pm. CET. Please see the details on www.arianespace.com.
Photos of the launch will be available on 2 May, 6 p.m. CET (preview) and 4 May, 7 a.m. CET (launch) via AFP, Reuters, EPA, AP, Service de Presse Kyodo, in Europe via AFP, ANP, ANSA, APA, Belga, DPA, EFE, Keystone, Lusa, Pressebild, and in Japan via JIJI press.
For more details please see www.arianespace.com
