Another Satellite for ASTRA

Customer	Société Européenne des Satellites Betzdorf, Luxembourg
Spacecraft	Boeing 601HP
Launch    Date    Vehicle    Site	June 16, 2001 Proton Baikonur, Kazakhstan
Orbital Slot	28.2° East Longitude
Contract life	15 years

Société Européenne des Satellites (SES) of Luxembourg ordered a Boeing satellite, ASTRA 2C, in August 1999. ASTRA 2C will be stationed at SES' second orbital position of 28.2 degrees East longitude. ASTRA 2C is a Boeing 601 HP model, the 8th 601 in SES' fleet and its 4th of the HP (High-Power) version. It was sucessfully launched from Baikonur, Kazakhstan on June 16, 2001.

ASTRA 2C will provide pan-European coverage. The satellite will have the flexibility to operate at SES' primary slot of 19.2 degree East longitude. ASTRA 2C, a body-stabilized spacecraft, will operate with 28 Ku-band transponders.

SES ordered its first 601 satellite, called ASTRA 1C, in late 1990, after a six-month competitive bidding process. That was followed in late 1991 by an order for a second spacecraft, ASTRA 1D; in 1992 for ASTRA 1E; in 1993 for ASTRA 1F; in 1994 for ASTRA 1G; in 1995 for 1H; and 1996 for 2A. ASTRA 1C was successfully launched May 1993, on an Ariane 42L rocket. ASTRA 1D was launched successfully on an Ariane 42P on October 1994. An Ariane 42L launched ASTRA 1E in October 1995. Russian Proton rockets successfully launched ASTRA 1F in April 1996, ASTRA 1G in December 1997, ASTRA 2A in August 1998 and ASTRA 1H in June 1999.

The Boeing-built ASTRA satellites are similar in appearance to other Boeing 601 models, with each having a cube-shaped body and two solar array wings oriented along its north-south axis and the antennas located on the east-west axis.

SES is the owner and operator of ASTRA, Europe's leading satellite system for direct-to-home reception, transmitting analog and digital TV and radio services as well as multimedia and Internet content to an audience of more than 80 million households in Europe. SES holds a strategic 34.13 percent participation in AsiaSat, Asia's premier satellite operator, providing broadcast and telecommunications services to 53 countries in the Asia/Pacific region. Through its strategic investments in AsiaSat, NSAB and Embratel, SES will be able to interconnect the European ASTRA and Sirius satellites with the Asian/Pacific AsiaSats and the Latin American Brasilsats to offer satellite broadband services spanning four continents. SES also has part ownership of Brasilsat (20%, since October 2000) and Nordic satellite Company (50 %, also since October 2000).

BSS is the world's leading manufacturer of commercial communications satellites, and a major provider of space systems, satellites and payloads for national defense, science and environmental applications.