SES GLOBAL (Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG) announces that the AMERICOM-18
(AMC-18) satellite which is to be operated by SES AMERICOM, an SES
GLOBAL company, was successfully launched onboard an Arianespace
Ariane 5 ECA launch vehicle from the French Guiana Spaceport in Kourou
today at 7:08 p.m. local time (5:08 p.m. Eastern U.S.; 11:08 p.m.
CET). After 32 minutes, the spacecraft, an A2100-type satellite built
by Lockheed Martin, separated from the Ariane Upper Stage and was
placed into geostationary transfer orbit and within moments the
satellite sent an initial signal which was received at Lockheed
Martin's Uralla, Australia facility. (6:08 p.m. Eastern U.S.; 00:08
a.m. CET on December 9th).
Edward D. Horowitz, President and CEO of SES AMERICOM, said, "The
launch of AMC-18 is a proud moment for the AMERICOM team. It is also a
proud moment for the Lockheed Martin team who has built and delivered
an exceptional spacecraft, and for the Ariane team, which has just
launched the 25th spacecraft for SES." He continued, "We now look
forward to bringing AMC-18 into service as we will be creating
America's only three-satellite HDTV neighborhood, HD-PRIME(TM). At
this tipping point in the development of the HD market, we're
investing in critically needed bandwidth to fuel this new channel
growth."
Marshall Byrd, Vice President and General Manager, Lockheed Martin
Commercial Space Systems, said, "Lockheed Martin has a tremendous
history with SES AMERICOM, starting with the launch of Satcom F1 in
1975. The first A2100 spacecraft, AMC-1, was launched in 1996 for SES
AMERICOM. Lockheed Martin recognizes and deeply appreciates the trust
that SES AMERICOM has placed in us throughout our 30-year business
relationship and we are proud once again to provide mission success
for one of our most long-standing customers."
Jean-Yves Le Gall, President and CEO of Arianespace, said, "I
would like to thank SES AMERICOM for placing their confidence in
Arianespace to deliver AMC-18 safely into orbit. AMC-18 is the
twenty-fifth satellite that Arianespace launched for SES GLOBAL,
representing 22 years of fruitful cooperation."
About AMC-18
AMC-18 is an all C-band satellite, designed to offer full North
American coverage including all 50 U.S. states, the Caribbean and
Mexico from 105 degrees West longitude. It will become the third
satellite in the HD-PRIME neighbourhood, joining AMC-10 and AMC-11,
which are near capacity. In addition, cable head ends are enjoying
access easy-to-install triple-feed antennas accessing AMC-18 plus two
additional cable satellites, AMC-1 at 103 degrees West and AMC-4 at
101 degrees West. Working with its customers and the cable industry,
AMERICOM has installed triple-feed antennas at cable head-ends serving
the majority of the U.S. cable households to facilitate their
reception of cable programming from all three spacecraft.
AMC-18 was procured by SES GLOBAL Satellite Leasing Ltd., an SES
company located on the Isle of Man; the spacecraft will be operated
and marketed by SES AMERICOM. The satellite, built by Lockheed Martin
Commercial Space Systems (LMCSS), will be the 13th A2100-based
spacecraft in the AMERICOM fleet. LMCSS will perform the transfer
orbit operation and deliver AMC-18 to 80 degrees West; AMERICOM takes
over the spacecraft to begin in-orbit testing on December 19th.
About SES AMERICOM
The largest supplier of satellite services in the U.S., SES
AMERICOM is recognized as a pioneer of global satellite communications
services. Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the launch of its first
satellite, the company today operates a fleet of 18 spacecraft in
orbital positions predominantly providing service throughout the
Americas. As a member of the SES GLOBAL family, SES AMERICOM is able
to provide end-to-end telecommunications solutions to any region of
the world via a fleet of 44 satellites. In addition, AMERICOM
Government Services, a wholly owned subsidiary, is dedicated to
providing satellite-based communications solutions to both civilian
and defense agencies of the U.S. government. With its combined
operations, SES AMERICOM serves broadcasters, cable programmers,
aeronautical and maritime communications integrators, Internet service
providers, mobile communications networks, government agencies,
educational institutions, carriers and secure global data networks
with efficient communication and content distribution solutions. For
more information, visit www.ses-americom.com.