SES Orders Two State-of-the-Art Satellites for its Prime TV Neighbourhood Serving 118 Million Homes
SES announced today it has ordered two geostationary (GEO) Ku-band satellites for its prime orbital slot at 19.2 degrees East to maintain the premium services it provides to its European video customers and to capture new opportunities in the region. These two replacement satellites – ASTRA 1P and ASTRA 1Q – will be built by Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%) and are expected to launch in 2024.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211117006466/en/
SES Orders Two State-of-the-Art Satellites for its Prime TV Neighbourhood Serving 118 Million Homes (Photo: Business Wire)
ASTRA 1P, a classic wide-beam satellite, will support SES’s prime TV neighbourhood and enable content owners, private and public broadcasters across Germany, France and Spain to continue broadcasting satellite TV channels in the highest-picture quality in the most cost-efficient manner.
ASTRA 1Q, a next-generation digital satellite with both wide beams and high-throughput spot beams, will be able to support direct-to-home (DTH) operations like ASTRA 1P. In addition, the fully flexible ASTRA 1Q is customisable on orbit and can be deployed easily to other orbital positions, enabling SES to serve the dynamic needs of its video and data customers well into the future.
The current satellites operating at SES’s prime orbital neighbourhood of 19.2 degrees East serve an unparalleled 118 million households or over 43 percent of all European TV homes. Specifically the majority of satellite homes in Germany, France and Spain are being served by the ASTRA satellites. The number of TV homes receiving HD content from these satellites has increased almost 30 percent over the past five years.
“Our prime TV neighbourhood at 19.2 degrees East is one of our most valuable assets and has been key to enabling renowned European broadcasters to grow their TV audiences in the last 30 years. These two satellites will have the resiliency, reliability and redundancy that our video customers need, and will be able to deliver continued premium services well into 2040,” said Steve Collar, CEO of SES. “Additionally, thanks to advanced satellite technology, we will be future-proofing our investment and injecting a high degree of flexibility into ASTRA 1Q to ensure we are meeting the evolving needs of all the markets we serve.”
“This contract reflects the ability of Thales Alenia Space to match complementary customer’s needs for both capacity and flexibility. We are proud to offer to SES our full electric Spacebus NEO flight proven product line to answer Astra 1P mission as well as our innovative software defined solution Space Inspire, allowing Astra 1Q the full in-orbit flexibility requested to serve the dynamic of the evolving market,” said Hervé Derrey, CEO of Thales Alenia Space.
The procurement of the two satellites was already incorporated within SES's existing Capital Expenditure outlook for 2021-2025 and is fully compliant with the company’s financial policy.
Follow us on:
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
LinkedIn
Instagram
Read our Blogs >
Visit the Media Gallery >
About SES
SES has a bold vision to deliver amazing experiences everywhere on earth by distributing the highest quality video content and providing seamless connectivity around the world. As the leader in global content connectivity solutions, SES operates the world’s only multi-orbit constellation of satellites with the unique combination of global coverage and high performance, including the commercially-proven, low-latency Medium Earth Orbit O3b system. By leveraging a vast and intelligent, cloud-enabled network, SES is able to deliver high-quality connectivity solutions anywhere on land, at sea or in the air, and is a trusted partner to the world’s leading telecommunications companies, mobile network operators, governments, connectivity and cloud service providers, broadcasters, video platform operators and content owners. SES’s video network carries over 8,500 channels and has an unparalleled reach of 361 million households, delivering managed media services for both linear and non-linear content. The company is listed on Paris and Luxembourg stock exchanges (Ticker: SESG). Further information is available at: www.ses.com.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211117006466/en/
Contact information
Suzanne Ong
Tel: +352 710 725 500
External Communications
suzanne.ong@ses.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
U.S. FDA Grants Priority Review to Sonrotoclax for the Treatment of Relapsed or Refractory Mantle Cell Lymphoma26.11.2025 13:00:00 EET | Press release
BeOne Medicines Ltd. (Nasdaq: ONC; HKEX: 06160; SSE: 688235), a global oncology company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted and granted Priority Review to a New Drug Application (NDA) for sonrotoclax, a next-generation BCL2 inhibitor, for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), following treatment with a Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor. “Sonrotoclax is advancing with remarkable speed, from Breakthrough Therapy Designation to Priority Review, all within a short window,” said Lai Wang, Ph.D., Global Head of R&D at BeOne. “That pace reflects both the strength of the data and the urgency of the need for patients with R/R MCL. With rapid, deep, and durable responses and a manageable safety profile, sonrotoclax is emerging as a potential best-in-class BCL2 inhibitor, alongside our two other transformative hematology assets – BTK inhibitor BRUKINSA, and investigational BTK degrader BGB-16
Modon Holding Announces a Strategic Investment in Wellington Lifestyle Partners, Expanding Its Global Portfolio in Luxury Lifestyle Destination Development26.11.2025 12:15:00 EET | Press release
Abu Dhabi-based Modon Holding P.S.C (“Modon”) today announced a strategic investment in Wellington Lifestyle Partners (“WLP”), joining a consortium of existing investors in the company. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251125937208/en/ Aerial shot of Wellington International (Photo: AETOSWire) Modon’s investment will support the long-term development of Wellington International equestrian showgrounds and deliver a landmark ultra-luxury real estate development featuring high-end residences, a boutique hotel, a commercial marketplace and a championship golf course located in Wellington, Florida – a global icon of equestrian sport. This investment marks Modon’s first direct investment in an equestrian led development in the United States, complementing its existing global portfolio, and reinforcing its strategy to partner with leading international organisations in expanding its presence across ultra-luxury destin
Epassi Announces Leadership Transition26.11.2025 12:00:00 EET | Press release
Epassi Group, a European leader in digital employee benefits technology, today announced that Nickyl Raithatha will join as Chief Executive Officer. Nickyl will assume the role in 2026. Pekka Rantala, who has served as CEO since September 2019, will remain on the Board as Non-Executive Chair. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251126015983/en/ Pekka Rantala and Nickyl Raithatha Over the past six years, Epassi Group has evolved from a Nordic success story into one of Europe’s leading SaaS employee benefits and wellbeing platforms. The company has expanded both its geographic footprint as well as its product portfolio, driven by a powerful combination of strong organic growth and strategic acquisitions, with backing from TA Associates and Warburg Pincus. Today it has a presence in ten countries and a team of 1,000 people. With net revenue expected to exceed €200 million in 2025, Epassi is redefining employee engage
Enerin raises €15 million Series A to industrialise modular high-temperature heat pumps for global industry26.11.2025 11:00:00 EET | Press release
Enerin, a technology leader in high-temperature heat pumps, has raised €15 million (NOK 180 million) in a Series A led by Climentum Capital, The Footprint Firm, Johnson Controls and Move Energy, with participation from PSV Hafnium and Momentum. “This investment marks our shift from pioneering to full industrialisation, bringing proven high-temperature technology from Norway to industries worldwide,” said Arne Høeg, Founder and CEO of Enerin. “Industrial companies are ready to decarbonise high-temperature heat, but the mass market has lacked simple, profitable solutions that fit everyday operations.” Replacing fossil-fuelled industrial boilers — responsible for nearly 20% of global CO₂ emissions — remains one of the toughest challenges in the energy transition, largely because conventional heat pumps can’t cope with the sector’s highly variable process conditions and high temperatures. Enerin’s modular, flexible and standardised system removes such barriers by adapting automatically to
IQM to Invest Over €40 Million to Expand Finland Production Facility, Accelerate Innovation and Fuel Growth26.11.2025 10:49:00 EET | Press release
IQM Quantum Computers, a global leader in superconducting quantum computers, today announced over €40 million investment to expand its state-of-the-art production facility in Finland. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251126943986/en/ This strategic expansion will accelerate the development, fabrication and testing of advanced quantum processing units and the assembly of quantum computers, paving the way for scalable, error-corrected quantum systems that will power the next era of computing. The expansion aligns with the company’s recent Series B fundraise of over $300 million. The facility, which will spread over 8,000 square meters, will expand the company’s cleanroom area quantum data centre. It will also double its assembly line capacity, enabling to produce over 30 full-stack quantum computers per year, helping to meet the growing demand for its systems and support research innovation and development activi
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom