SES-12 onboard SpaceX rocket at launch pad. Photo Credit: SpaceX

SES has announced that SES-12 has been successfully launched today onboard a flight-proven SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) in Cape Canaveral in Florida. Liftoff occurred at 12:45 a.m. EDT and the satellite was deployed about 32 minutes after liftoff.

SES-12, which is designed with wide beams and high throughput beams, will join SES-8 at 95 degrees East to meet the needs of video, fixed data, mobility and government customers across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. This is the latest satellite SES has launched to that orbital position where it will operate under the authority of the Netherlands. It will replace and augment the services currently being provided on SES’ NSS-6 satellite.

Together with SES-8, SES-12 will reach 18 million TV homes, and provide pay-TV operators scalability by adding more content and delivering higher picture quality to address demand for High Definition (HD) and Ultra-HD content.

The SES-12 high throughput payload is intended to enhance connectivity in the aeronautical and maritime segments across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. SES-12 will also enable governments to provide connectivity programs to bridge the digital divide, and in allowing telcos, mobile network operators and internet service providers to deliver more cellular backhaul and faster broadband services.

Falcon 9’s first stage for the SES-12 mission previously supported the OTV-5 mission from Launch Complex 39A in September 2017. SpaceX did not attempt to recover Falcon 9’s first stage after launch.