Arianespace has orbited the final four latest satellites in the first phase of SES's O3b constellation.
The launch took place on Thursday, April 4, at 2:03 pm (local time) from the Guiana Space Center (CSG), Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana (South America).
This was the fifth O3b mission by Arianespace, which has now orbited all 20 satellites in the first phase of this medium Earth orbit (MEO) constellation. Arianespace has launched a total of 61 satellites overall for SES since 1988, both geostationary and non-geostationary.
With this fourth successful launch of the year, and the second Soyuz mission for constellations in 2019, Arianespace continues to prove that its family of launchers is perfectly suited to all types of missions into all orbits.
Following the launch, Stephane Israel, Chief Executive Officer of Arianespace, said: "With this fifth successful launch for the O3b constellation, Arianespace is proud of deploying the entire first phase of this innovative system. Our exceptional partnership with SES has enabled us to orbit 61 satellites, both geostationary and non-geostationary, for this leading international operator. I want to express my gratitude to SES for its trust. We are ready to take on new challenges together."
Arianespace: A key partner for SES, supporting its ambitious vision of global connectivity
SES is the world's first operator to provide a differentiated and scalable GEO-MEO offering worldwide, with more than 50 satellites in geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) and – including this launch – 20 in medium Earth orbit (MEO).
The four new Ka-band satellites built by Thales Alenia Space and orbited Thursday by Arianespace will join SES's existing constellation of O3b MEO satellites, operating at an altitude of approximately 8,000 km. and serving customers in nearly 50 countries. They will improve connectivity, increase performance and also seamlessly scale the existing O3b constellation.
Combining performance comparable to fiber-optics and global coverage, the O3b constellation will deliver high-performance solutions worldwide and help SES meet its ambitious goal of connecting the world by reducing the digital divide and offering new commercial models.
The first phase of this innovative space system started commercial service in September 2014. All satellites were deployed by Arianespace, using its Soyuz launcher. Each of the five launches lofted four satellites, performed in June 2013, July and December 2014, March 2018 and April 2019.
