SES’s Fourth and Fifth C-band Satellites for the United States Successfully Launched
SES announced today that the SES-18 and SES-19 satellites, designed and assembled by Northrop Grumman, were successfully launched by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, United States, at 7:38 pm local time on Friday, March 17.
The two American-made satellites are the fourth and fifth – and final – satellites to be launched as part of SES’s C-band transition plan, following the launch of SES-22 in June 2022 and the tandem launch of SES-20 and SES-21 in October 2022. These satellites are essential parts of SES’s plan to achieve the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) program to clear C-band spectrum to enable wireless operators to deploy 5G services across the contiguous U.S. (CONUS) while ensuring that SES’s existing customers continue to enjoy uninterrupted TV, radio, and critical data transmission services to millions of Americans.
Since 2020, SES, along with other satellite operators, has been clearing 300 MHz of C-band spectrum and transitioning customer services to the remaining allocated 200 MHz of spectrum by launching new satellites, building new ground stations and sending hundreds of satellite earth station technicians across the country to install new filters on customers’ antennas.
By providing contractual service protections to customers who receive video services in the U.S., SES-18 and SES-19 will enable SES to safely clear C-band spectrum to help accomplish the FCC’s ambitious goals for American 5G innovation. SES-18 is expected to begin operations in June 2023 at 103 degrees West replacing SES-3 C-band payload and SES-19 will be co-located with SES-22 at 135 degrees West.
“This successful launch marks one of the last remaining milestones on our journey to clear a portion of the C-band, and we are incredibly grateful to Northrop Grumman, SpaceX, and all of our partners who helped make this plan a reality,” said Steve Collar, CEO of SES. “We are now on the home stretch in protecting our customers’ broadcasts while freeing crucial 5G spectrum and we look forward to successfully concluding our work well before the FCC’s December 2023 accelerated clearing deadline.”
More information on the SES-18 and SES-19 satellites can be found on the SES C-band in the U.S. newsroom.
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 ~8,000 channels and has an unparalleled reach of 369 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/20230317005430/en/
Contact information
Suzanne Ong
External Communications
+352 710 725 500
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
Options Selects atNorth Data Center for Private AI Solution18.11.2025 14:14:00 EET | Press release
Options Technology (Options), the leading provider of capital markets infrastructure, today announced a partnership with atNorth, the leading Nordic high-density colocation and built-to-suit datacenter provider, to host its expanded private AI solution, at atNorth’s ICE02 data center in Iceland. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251118956675/en/ Options Selects atNorth Data Center for Private AI Solution Options infrastructure expansion results from increasing demand from financial firms, such as hedge funds, investment banks, and proprietary trading firms, for high-density computing power, driven by the rapid adoption of AI for trading strategies, risk management, and data analytics. The business aims to address a gap in the market for private cloud infrastructure specifically tailored to the requirements of the financial services industry. Recognizing the need for a secure, sustainable, AI ready and cost-effec
Loyalty Upgraded: Hilton Honors Introduces Faster Path to Elite Status and Reveals New Premium Tier – Diamond Reserve18.11.2025 14:02:00 EET | Press release
Committed to rewarding loyalty at every stage of the travel journey, today Hilton (NYSE: HLT) announced exciting changes to its award-winning Hilton Honors loyalty program. Debuting this January, Hilton will introduce its most elite tier yet – Diamond Reserve – with new elevated benefits, including a Confirmable Upgrade Reward that can be instantly redeemed at the time of booking, guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout, and exclusive customer service support. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251118002486/en/ (Photo: Hilton) Committed to rewarding loyalty at every stage of the travel journey, Hilton announced exciting changes to its award-winning Hilton Honors loyalty program. (Waldorf Astoria New York) What’s more, Hilton Honors Gold status will become the most valuable mid-tier status, with members still enjoying all the current benefits of Gold status, including space-available room upgrades and on-property Food & B
NIQ Launches New Brand Traction Score Designed to Reveal How Effectively FMCG Brands Convert Shelf Presence Into Real Consumer Purchases18.11.2025 13:45:00 EET | Press release
Coca-Cola has been recognised as the top FMCG brand in Western Europe for its success in driving conversions, according to NielsenIQ (NIQ)’s Brand Traction Score, a new metric that measures how effectively brands convert their shelf presence into actual consumer purchases. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251118769598/en/ NIQ Brand Traction Score The NIQ Brand Traction Score combines two of NIQ’s most powerful data sources: insights from its Consumer Panel, which tracks how frequently shoppers buy a brand, and its Retail Measurement data, which captures how widely and deeply that brand is distributed across stores. This strategy saw some of the top-performing brands grow by 40% due to expanding their presence, with more than 60% of their unit growth coming from households adding these brands to their category repertoire. There was also growth (18%) from existing buyers expanding their brand and category purchas
Barilla Opens Its New Innovation Center to Drive Food Innovation Worldwide18.11.2025 13:37:00 EET | Press release
How can we bring the excellence of Italian culinary tradition into the future? How can we transform everyday products into experiences that surprise the senses, create emotions, and accompany people in moments of pleasure, sharing, and discovery? The answer for Barilla Group is the Barilla Innovation & Technology Experience (BITE) in Parma, marking the company’s most significant investment in food innovation in recent years. With almost 14,000m², more than €20 million invested and an additional €2 million per year dedicated to equipment upgrades, BITE stands as a global hub designed to foster development across the Group’s portfolio. Pasta, sauces, and bakery become a territory of exploration here, where research and technology serve Barilla's passion for good food. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251118376430/en/ Guido, Paolo and Luca Barilla. © Barilla Rooted in an approach of collaboration with leading inte
HP Becomes Sisvel Wi-Fi 6 Pool Licensee, Ending Disputes with Wilus, Huawei and Philips18.11.2025 11:58:00 EET | Press release
HP Inc and Sisvel have concluded an agreement for the Palo Alto-based global technology leader to become a licensee of the Sisvel Wi-Fi 6 patent pool. The deal follows a mediation process ordered by Judge Rodney Gilstrap, of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, as part of patent infringement litigation brought against HP by Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology, a licensor in the pool. The agreement not only ends the Wilus suit, but also actions launched against HP by other Sisvel Wi-Fi 6 pool licensors, Huawei and Philips. HP now has one-stop access to approximately 2,000 patents (245 patent families) recognised to date, through the pool’s process of independent patent evaluations, as essential to the 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 standard. Close to 40 entities license the patents in the Sisvel Wi-Fi 6 patent pool. In addition to HP Inc, these include other recent additions such as Cisco, Netgear and Acer. “We are grateful to HP for the constructive way in which they enga
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