The FINANCIAL — The SES-12 spacecraft has arrived safely at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, in preparation for launch on board a flight-proven SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
SES-12, which is uniquely designed with both state-of-the-art wide beams and high throughput beams, will join SES-8 at 95 degrees East to serve SES video and data customers across the Asia-Pacific region. It will replace and augment services currently provided on NSS-6.
Like SES-14 and SES-15, which serve the Americas, SES-12’s high throughput capabilities are SES’s answer to soaring connectivity demand in the aeronautical and maritime segments in the Asia-Pacific region. SES-12 will also be pivotal in enabling governments that want to roll out connectivity programmes to bridge the digital divide and in allowing telcos, mobile network operators and internet service providers to deliver more reliable cellular backhaul and broadband services, according to SES.
Together with SES-8, SES-12 will reach 18 million TV homes from its 95°E orbital position, and will provide pay-TV operators the reliability and scalability to deliver high-quality and immersive viewing experiences and address the ever-increasing audience demand for High Definition (HD) and Ultra HD content.
With six wide beams and 72 high throughput user spot beams, SES-12 is one of the largest geostationary satellites that SES has ever procured. The spacecraft also has a Digital Transparent Processor (DTP) that increases payload flexibility to provide much more customised bandwidth solutions to SES’s customers. The all-electric SES-12 spacecraft was built by Airbus Defence and Space, and will rely fully on electric propulsion for orbit raising and subsequent in-orbit manoeuvres.
Martin Halliwell, Chief Technology Officer at SES said, “SES-12 was built to meet the dynamic needs of our customers across the Asia-Pacific region, and to empower them to capture massive growth opportunities in their markets. When co-located with SES-8, it will provide incremental high performance capacity and offer greater reliability and flexibility to our video and data customers.”
The SES-12 spacecraft will join SES’s network of seven geostationary satellites and 16 MEO satellites in the Asia-Pacific region to provide unparalleled coverage to over 20 countries.
