SES S.A. (Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG) today announced that the AMC-3 satellite is being relocated from its former location of 87 degrees West to 67 degrees West to optimize coverage of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. The 67 degrees West orbital position offers an extensive Ku-band satellite frequency range and excellent viewing angles for coverage of the Americas and the Caribbean.
The drift was initiated in January and the satellite is scheduled to arrive at its new orbital location on February 24th.
AMC-3 was launched in 1997 into the orbital location of 87 degrees West. Built by Lockheed Martin, the spacecraft carries Ku- as well as C-band transponders. The AMC-3 spacecraft was replaced at the 87 degrees West slot by the SES-2 satellite launched on board an Ariane 5 vehicle on September 22, 2011. AMC-3 has enough fuel to operate in geostationary orbit until 2017. At 67 degrees West, AMC-3 will be co-located with the AMC-4 satellite, which has been providing services over Latin America and the Caribbean since its deployment at this position in 2010. Together, AMC-3 and AMC-4 will be able to offer 28 commercially available Ku-band transponders (36 MHz equivalents) at 67 degrees West.
Romain Bausch, President and CEO of SES stated: "The relocation of the AMC-3 satellite once again demonstrates the operational flexibility provided by a 50 spacecraft strong global fleet. The orbital slot of 67 degrees West offers an additional growth opportunity to SES to efficiently serve Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean with satellite solutions for television distribution, broadband connectivity and government services."
About SES
SES is a world-leading satellite operator with a fleet of 50 geostationary satellites. The company provides satellite communications services to broadcasters, content and internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators and business and governmental organisations worldwide.
SES stands for long-lasting business relationships, high-quality service and excellence in the broadcasting industry. The culturally diverse regional teams of SES are located around the globe and work closely with customers to meet their specific satellite bandwidth and service requirements.
SES (Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG) holds participations in Ciel in Canada and QuetzSat in Mexico, as well as a strategic participation in satellite infrastructure start-up O3b Networks. Further information under: www.ses.com.
