SES-8 new satellite launched successfully, DTH Players to add transponder capacity

Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES has announced the successful launch of its geo-stationary satellite SES-8. The new communications satellite carries up to 33 Ku-band transponders (36 MHz equivalent), which are used by direct-to-home (DTH) players. 

SES-8 South Asia Ku-band beam SES-8 South Asia Ku-band beam More importantly, authorised by The Netherlands, SES- 8 will be co-located with SES’ other satellite NSS-6 at the orbital location of 95 degrees East, which provides capacity over Asia-Pacific region, including markets like India and China. 

The successful launch of SES-8 also means that the Indian DTH market leader Dish TV will soon be able to increase its capacity. As of now, Dish TV has nine transponders on NSS-6, with each able to host about 15 channels. In a recent interview to TelevisionPost.com, Dish TV CEO RC Venkateish, had said that the company is looking to add five transponders from SES to beef up its existing capacity. “We have got one transponder already allocated and this should cost us about $1.3 million as rental outgo per year,” he had told. Dish TV also has a long term contract for additional transponders on Asiasat, which it signed in 2010. 

SES-8 was launched on 3 December from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral. A Falcon 9 booster operated by SpaceX successfully injected the satellite into geostationary transfer orbit, 31 minutes after lift-off. It was the first time that SES used a SpaceX/Falcon 9 rocket. 

Apart from DTH, SES-8, manufactured by Orbital Sciences Corporation, will provide expansion capacity for VSAT and government applications also. 

Orbital location 95 degree East Coverage South Asia Launch date 03 December 2013 Launch Vehicle Falcon 9 Design Life 15 years Polarisation Ku-band: Linear Total Transponders Ku-band: up to 33 (36 MHz equivalent) SES president and CEO Romain Bausch said, “Our customers are looking forward to the new capacity, and we are delighted that SES, in collaboration with SpaceX and Orbital, is all set to deliver following today’s successful launch. Through the co-location with NSS-6 at 95 degrees East, SES-8 will not only provide incremental high performance capacity, notably for DTH services, it will also create greater reliability and additional security for customers. The SES-8 satellite will significantly contribute to SES’s growing presence in Asia-Pacific.

” The company also plans to launch SES-9 satellite in 2015, which will be positioned at the orbital slot of 108.2 degrees East and will provide incremental as well as replacement capacity to this established SES slot over Asia, where it will be co-located with the existing SES-7 satellite. 

The satellite will expand SES’ capabilities to provide DTH broadcasting and other communications services in Northeast Asia, South Asia and Indonesia, as well as maritime communications for vessels in the Indian Ocean.

Source: http://cablequest.org/news/dth-news/item/3760-ses-8-new-satellite-launched-successfully,-dth-players-to-add-transponder-capacity.htmlSource: http://cablequest.org/news/dth-news/item/3760-ses-8-new-satellite-launched-successfully,-dth-players-to-add-transponder-capacity.html