Eutelsat 9B successfully launched

Eutelsat successfully launched its new Eutelsat 9B satellite over the weekend from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The satellite launched into geosynchronous transfer orbit on a Proton rocket, from which it separated after 9 hours and 12 minutes, according to Eutelast.

As of March, the new satellite will be positioned at 9 degrees East. It will broadcast more than 350 TV channels currently served at this position by Eutelsat 9A and provide expansion capacity for new services.

“We look forward to putting Eutelsat 9B to work for the benefit of our broadcaster clients and to the inauguration of the ground-breaking European Data Relay System that is a powerful illustration of the complementarity of geostationary and low earth satellites for fast transmission of data flows back to earth,” said Eutelsat CEO, Michel de Rosen.

Eutelsat previously delayed the launch of Eutelsat 9B by two days citing “weather-related logistical issues”.