3D model image of the SES 6 satellite Image credit: Astrium

[Satellite TODAY 07-30-13] SES announced today that the SES 6 satellite has successfully completed its extensive in-orbit testing and is now fully operational and in commercial service at the 40.5 degrees west orbital position. The 53rd SES satellite was successfully launched on board an ILS Proton booster from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on June 4, 2013.

SES 6 was built by EADS Astrium in Toulouse, France, based on the Eurostar E3000 platform. The satellite is equipped with 43 C-band and 48 Ku-band transponders. SES 6 had a launch mass of 6,100 kg, features a wingspan of 40 meters with its solar arrays deployed in orbit, and is designed for 13 kW of spacecraft power at the end of its 15-year design lifetime.