Repositioning and Renaming Has SES ASTRA SATurated

SES ASTRA has started a new orbital position at 31.5° E. The new position will allow SES ASTRA to operate satellite services at up to 40 new broadcasting frequencies (BSS) and strongly support the development of the Eastern European and Middle East markets. The satellite Sirius 2, which is part of the SES fleet and is renamed ASTRA 5A, has been moved from 5° E to the new position and will allow the commercialization of as many as 26 transponders in the first step. The move of Sirius 2 was possible due to the successful launch of the new Sirius 4 satellite at the end of last year. The African beam Sirius 4 carries is now commercialized under the name ASTRA 4A. With the new position, SES ASTRA and SES SIRIUS operate five orbital positions with their fleet of now 13 ASTRA and 2 SIRIUS satellites: the prime orbital position 19.2° E, serving the Direct-to-Home (DTH) markets in Western Europe, especially Germany, France and Spain; 28.2° E, which focuses on the United Kingdom and Irish markets; 5° E, for the Sirius satellites serving the Northern and Eastern European countries; 23.5° E, which is developing into a second important DTH position, especially for Benelux and Central European countries; and the new position at 31.5° E.