SES S.A. has announced that a new multi-mission satellite for the SES group, Sirius 5, has been procured by SES' leasing company, SES Satellite Leasing Limited in the Isle of Man, from the satellite manufacturer Space Systems/ Loral, a subsidiary of Loral Space and Communications.

The new spacecraft will be deployed at the orbital slot of 5 degrees East to further strengthen the SES fleet at that position. The satellite is scheduled for launch in the second half of 2011.

Sirius 5 will have 36 Ku-band transponders serving Northern Europe and the Baltic region as well as the African markets with Direct-to-Home (DTH) services. It will also have 24 C-band transponders (36 MegaHertz each) for global and hemispheric coverage, delivering broadband, point-to-point and VSAT capacities.

The Ku-band transponders will be commercialised by SES ASTRA in the African DTH market and by SES SIRIUS in the Nordic markets, whereas the C-band transponders will become part of the SES NEW SKIES offering.

"The investment into a new satellite for the important orbital position 5 degrees East is part of our continuous fleet development and will add significant business potential for Northern Europe and Africa," said Romain Bausch, President and CEO of SES.

"The new satellite will allow us to further drive our DTH business and our international reach."

"The construction of Sirius 5 is a perfect example of how SES and its different operating companies benefit from our group-wide procurement process," said Martin Halliwell, President of SES ENGINEERING.

"Sirius 5 will have multiple missions and enable different parts of SES to broaden their ability to provide cost-effective solutions for broadcasting and broadband, especially in C-band, which is an increasingly hot commodity. We are pleased to work with Space Systems/Loral on another powerful satellite for the SES fleet."

"We are honored to play a key role in the new SES procurement strategy," said Patrick DeWitt, CEO of Space Systems/Loral. "Our leadership in the industry, and the flexibility of our high performance platform, position us well to support companies with multiple mission requirements."