SES-4 Arrives at Baikonur Sat Launch Site

By Doug Lung
published


On Monday Space Systems/Loral announced the SES-4 satellite, which was constructed by that company for SES, had been delivered to the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan where it will be launched aboard an ILS Proton Breeze M launch vehicle from International Launch Services. SES-4 will be the largest and most powerful satellite in the SES fleet.

The 20 kW satellite has 52 C-band transponders and 72 Ku-band transponders. It will replace NSS-7, which is located at 338 degrees EL, a location that covers the Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The satellite includes an extensive channel switching capability between C- and Ku-band transponders for enhanced connectivity. It's built on the SSL-1300 platform and is designed to provide service for 15 years or longer.

"With SES-4 at launch base, we will soon be ready to provide enhanced services to customers on four continents," said Martin Halliwell, chief technology officer at SES. "We are very happy with our close collaborative relationship with Space Systems/Loral and look forward to a successful launch."

Additional data on the new satellite, including frequencies and coverage maps, is available on the SES World Skies SES-4 Web page.

Doug Lung
Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.