SES delays Astra 5B launch

Satellite operator SES has delayed the launch of its Astra 5B satellite, claiming that launch partner Arianespace said it would not have its Ariane 5 booster ready in time for next month. 

The satellite was due to blast off from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guyana, on December 6 and arrived there on November 6  to be readied for launch.

SES said in a statement that the Astra 5B launch would now take place in January 2014 and that the satellite will “be put into safe storage until the launch preparations can resume.”