Satellitenstart an Bord einer Ariane 5 Rakete On August 6, 2011, the SES ASTRA satellite ASTRA 1N was successfully launched from Kourou, French Guiana, on board an Ariane 5 rocket. ASTRA 1N is set to deliver direct-to-home (DTH) services, notably digital and high definition (HD) television in Europe. The satellite will first provide interim replacement capacity at 28.2° East, and will subsequently be moved to 19.2° East, from where it will mainly serve the German, French and Spanish markets. ASTRA 1N was built by Astrium on the Eurostar E3000 platform and is equipped with 52 transponders in the Ku frequency band. The satellite had a launch mass of 5325 kg and is the fourth Eurostar satellite in the SES fleet. ASTRA 1N will be brought into commercial service within the next weeks after extensive in-orbit testing.
