European
Commission
Selects
SES
ASTRA
for
Navigation
Service
EGNOS
16
March
2009
SES
ASTRA,
has
been
selected
by
the
European
Commission
(EC)
to
provide
services
to
the
European
navigation
service
EGNOS
(European
Geostationary
Navigation
Overlay
Service).
EGNOS
is
managed
by
the
EC
on
behalf
of
the
European
Union
(EU).
Under
the
terms
of
the
contract,
SES
ASTRA
will
supply
the
EU
with
a
tailor-made
payload
as
well
as
the
related
necessary
ground
infrastructure.
The
payload
will
operate
in
L-band
and
be
located
on
SES
ASTRA’s
new
SIRIUS
5
satellite.
SIRIUS
5,
procured
by
SES
Satellite
Leasing
Limited
in
the
Isle
of
Man,
is
scheduled
for
launch
in
the
second
half
of
2011
and
is
currently
under
construction
by
Space
Systems/Loral.
It
will
be
positioned
at
SES
SIRIUS’
prime
orbital
position
5
degrees
East.
SES
ASTRA
is
planning
to
start
operating
the
EGNOS
payload
by
year-end
2011.
EGNOS
supplements
the
primary
GPS
-
and
in
the
future
also
the
GLONASS
and
GALILEO
-
navigation
systems
by
reporting
and
improving
the
reliability
and
accuracy
of
the
signals.
It
will
also
provide
European
navigation
services
ahead
of
the
deployment
of
GALILEO.
The
EGNOS
service
is
available
over
Europe
and
northern
Africa
and
will
be
fully
compatible
with
GALILEO.
Ferdinand
Kayser,
President
and
CEO
of
SES
ASTRA,
said:
“We
are
very
proud
to
have
been
chosen
by
the
EC
to
contribute
to
this
important
satellite
navigation
service
which
will
play
an
important
role
in
the
development
and
realisation
of
the
GALILEO
system.
The
decision
shows
that
the
commercial
satellites
of
SES
ASTRA
can
provide
great
value
to
governments
and
institutions
that
are
looking
for
capacity
for
their
satellite
based
projects
such
as
EGNOS.”
The
decision
by
the
European
Commission
follows
a
contract
between
AMERICOM
Government
Services,
an
affiliate
of
SES,
and
the
U.S.
Government
to
host
an
experimental
sensor
on
board
of a
commercial
spacecraft,
a
program
known
as
the
Commercially
Hosted
Infrared
Payload
(CHIRP)
Flight
Demonstration
Program,
which
is
scheduled
for
launch
later
next
year.
“These
recent
agreements
show
that
SES
operates
very
successfully
in
the
attractive
and
growing
government
and
institutional
market,”
said
Romain
Bausch,
President
and
CEO
of
SES.
“Our
strong
position
as a
leading
satellite
operator
and
as a
major
driver
of
the
satellite
industry
makes
us a
highly
reliable
and
flexible
partner
for
institutional
customers
and
governments.
Our
significant
long-term
satellite
fleet
investment
programs,
and
our
long-standing
world
class
expertise
in
commercial
satellite
operations,
benefit
institutional
customers
and
offer
various
opportunities
for
hosted
payloads
in
the
years
to
come.”
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