SES NEW SKIES, an SES company (Paris:SESG)(LuxX:SESG) today
unveiled plans to further enlarge its satellite fleet through a new
spacecraft procurement with Space Systems/Loral a subsidiary of Loral
Space & Communications (NASDAQ:LORL). The procurement of the NSS-12
satellite will be made by SES Satellite Leasing Ltd. and the satellite
will be commercially operated by SES NEW SKIES. Terms of the
procurement contract, the first by an SES company with Space
Systems/Loral, remain confidential.
The hybrid NSS-12 satellite that Space Systems/Loral will produce
is slated for operation at the orbital position of 57 degrees 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 which was destroyed on its launch pad in
January of this year. NSS-12 is designed to provide SES NEW SKIES with
additional capacity to commercialise 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 life-time of 15 years.
A specific launch vehicle has not yet been chosen.
States Rob Bednarek, President and CEO of SES NEW SKIES: "SES NEW
SKIES looks forward to our 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."
"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 John Celli, President
and Chief Operating Officer, Space Systems/Loral. "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."
NSS-12 now joins NSS-9, a C-band only satellite which is already
under construction and slated for launch in late 2008, as another
important 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 which 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.
Mr. 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."
About SES NEW SKIES
SES NEW SKIES is an SES company (Paris:SESG)(LuxX:SESG) offering
satellite communication services to a range of customers including
telecommunications providers, broadcasters, corporations and
governments around the world. SES NEW SKIES operates a global fleet of
seven satellites in orbit, with two additional spacecraft under
construction (NSS-9 and NSS-12) and ground facilities around the
world. Headquartered in The Hague, the company has offices in Hong
Kong, New Delhi, Sao Paulo, Singapore, Sydney and Washington, D.C. In
addition to SES NEW SKIES, SES wholly owns the market-leading
satellite operators SES ASTRA in Europe and SES AMERICOM in North
America and also holds strategic participations in SES Sirius in
Europe, Ciel in Canada and Quetzsat in Mexico. SES provides
outstanding satellite communications solutions via a global fleet of
36 satellites in 25 orbital locations. Further information on the
company is available at www.ses-newskies.com and on SES at
www.ses.com.
