Astra 2E goes into service as SES and Eutelsat settle dispute

SES’s Astra 2E satellite will go into service at the 28.2°/28.5° East orbital position from tomorrow. The satellite was launched on board an ILS Proton launch vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on September 30.

Over the coming weeks, BSkyB, Channel4, ITV and BBC programming in the 28.2°/28.5° East orbital arc will be transitioned to the new satellite. The satellite is co-located with Asra 2A, Astra 2F and Astra 1N.

The Astrium-built satellite carries 60 Ku-band transponders, including 12 incremental transponders for delivery of services outside Europe, as well as 4 Ka-band transponders.

Some capacity on the satellite has been booked by rival operator Eutelsat as part of the pair’s resolution of their long-running dispute over frequency rights at 28.2°/28.5° East, announced yesterday. Eutelsat is taking 20 transponders across Astra 2E, Astra 2F and the forthcoming Astra 2G.