Thursday 18 May, Soyuz accomplished a flawless launch from the French Guiana Space Centre, Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, orbiting the SES-15 telecommunications satellite for operator SES and marking its 17th straight success since 2011.
On its 17th flight from the French Guiana Space Centre, Soyuz was tasked with launching the SES-15 satellite into geostationary transfer orbit for SES, the world-leading operator and the first to deliver a and scalable GEO-MEO offering worldwide, with more than 50 satellites in geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) and 12 in medium Earth orbit (MEO). SES provides satellite communications services to broadcasters, content and Internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators, governments and institutions, as well as to businesses around the world.
With a launch mass of 2,302 kilograms, SES-15, from its orbital location of 129 degrees West, will enable SES to offer a broad spectrum of telecommunications services, notably for the aeronautical and maritime sectors, government and VSAT networks over North America, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. The satellite has an expected service lifetime of more than 15 years.
More information about the VS17 launch: http://www.arianespace.com/mission/soyuz-flight-vs17/
