SES, the leader in global content connectivity solutions, announced today that American launch provider SpaceX will provide launch capability for up to 3 of its C-band satellites over two launches as part of the company’s accelerated C-band clearing plan. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will launch two C-band satellites built by Northrop Grumman as well as provide enhanced protection to rapidly launch a contingency satellite from Cape Canaveral, Florida in 2022 allowing SES to meet the Federal Communications Commission’s time-critical objective to roll out 5G services across the United States.
In June, SES announced it contracted American companies Northrop Grumman and the Boeing Company to deliver four C-band satellites in accordance with SES’s accelerated C-band clearing plan. These satellites will enable SES to clear 280MHz of mid-band spectrum for 5G use while seamlessly migrating SES’s existing C-band customers and ensuring the continued delivery of digital television to nearly 120 million American TV homes and other critical data services.
In the last few months, SES has been increasingly working with U.S. businesses across the country and investing in America in the C-band transition plan, and its long-standing relationship with SpaceX signifies its latest commitment to the U.S. SpaceX has launched six SES satellites in the last seven years.
“Clearing mid-band spectrum and protecting our broadcast customers to ensure business continuity is a significant undertaking and we absolutely need to be working with the right partners,” said Steve Collar, CEO at SES. “We have a deep and trusted relationship with SpaceX having been the first to launch a commercial satellite with them and subsequently the first commercial company to adopt the flight-proven booster and we could not be more confident in their ability to deliver on this time-critical mission.”
SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell noted, “SES is one of SpaceX‘s most-valued partners, and we are proud of their continued trust in our capabilities to reliably deliver their satellites to orbit. We are excited to once again play a role in executing SES’s solutions to meet their customers’ needs.”
