ILS launches SES-4 satellite

International Launch Services (ILS) has launched the SES-4 satellite into space on an ILS Proton Breeze M booster. After a 9-hour, 12-minute mission, the Breeze M upper stage of the Proton rocket released the SES-4 satellite directly into geostationary transfer orbit. SES-4 is a 20-kilowatt satellite manufactured on the Space Systems/Loral 1300 platform with 52 C-band and 72 Ku-band transponders. It has C-band beams serving the eastern hemisphere of Europe and Africa, full coverage of the Americas, and a global beam to support mobile and maritime customers. Four high-power, regional Ku-band beams provide service to Europe, the Middle East, West Africa, as well as North and South America with channel switching capacity between C- and Ku-band transponders for enhanced connectivity. SES-4 is the 50th satellite in the global SES fleet and also the largest SES satellite to date. It will replace the NSS-7 satellite at 338 degrees east longitude and provide replacement as well as incremental capacity at this well established SES orbital slot over the Atlantic Ocean.