Space.com reported the mission as follows, “SES-18 and SES-19 went farther afield. The duo are headed for geostationary orbit, about 22,200 miles (35,700 kilometers) above our planet. From that perch, they’ll provide digital broadcasting coverage to North America.”
SATNews added, “By providing contractual service protections to customers who receive video services in the U.S., SES-18 and SES-19 will enable SES to safely clear C-band spectrum to help accomplish the FCC’s ambitious goals for American 5G innovation. SES-18 is expected to begin operations in June of 2023 at 103 degrees West, replacing SES-3 C-band payload, and SES-19 will be co-located with SES-22 at 135 degrees West.
‘This successful launch marks one of the last remaining milestones on our journey to clear a portion of the C-band, and we are incredibly grateful to Northrop Grumman, SpaceX, and all of our partners who helped make this plan a reality,” said Steve Collar, CEO of SES. “We are now on the home stretch in protecting our customers’ broadcasts while freeing crucial 5G spectrum and we look forward to successfully concluding our work well before the FCC’s December 2023 accelerated clearing deadline.’ ”
Please use the following spaceX.com link for a replay of the launch.
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