SES-9 takes off - at last

Originally set for launch in 2015, the craft took off into space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 6:35 pm US East Coast Time and separated from the second stage of the SpaceX rocket 31 minutes later.

The project has been beset by delay after delay. On 29 February, only minutes from its latest scheduled blast-off time, SpaceX had to cancel once again the launch after what it called a ‘range safety issue’ due to a boat entering the keep out zone. The next launch on 3 March was cancelled when upper-level winds continue to exceed acceptable limits.

Built by Boeing Satellite Systems, SES-9 is designed to operate for 15 years in geosynchronous orbit with a 12.7kw payload and 57 Ku-band transponders. Once in orbit at 108.2° East, SES-9 is intended to broaden SES’s global video capabilities to serve markets such as South Asia, Indonesia and the Philippines. It is charged with providing both replacement and incremental capacity in the premium video neighbourhood over Asia which already serves over 22 million households.