SES announced that the SES 6 satellite roared into space aboard an ILS Proton Breeze M launch vehicle June 3 at 5:38 p.m. EDT. After a 15-hour, 31-minute mission, the Breeze M upper stage of the Proton rocket successfully released the SES 6 satellite directly into geostationary transfer orbit.

        Following the successful launch, SES also announced the Brazilian telecommunication group Oi is a new anchor customer who signed a significant long-term capacity agreement to provide DTH services in Brazil. With the agreement, Oi becomes the largest user of the new satellite.

      “With SES 6, Oi has access to significant additional satellite capacity at exactly the right time in order to take its pay-TV services to the next level of development,” James Meaney, CEO with Oi, said in a statement. “We will be able to meet consumers’ demand for a greater diversity of channels, many in high definition, as soon as possible.”

      SES 6 replaces SES’ NSS 806 satellite at the orbital position of 40.5 degrees west, providing continuity of service and expansion capacity in the C-band for video neighborhoods in Latin America and the Caribbean. Built by EADS Astrium, the satellite has comprehensive coverage of North America, Latin America, Europe and the Atlantic Ocean.