HELLAS SAT successfully takes control of its satellite after 16 months of smooth operations by SES ASTRA
SES ASTRA’s TechCom unit (SES ASTRA is an SES GLOBAL company - Euronext Paris, Luxembourg and Frankfurt Stock Exchanges: SESG), and HELLAS SAT S.A. are pleased to announce that the control of the Hellas-Sat 2 satellite has been successfully handed-over from the SES ASTRA control center in Betzdorf, Luxembourg, to the HELLAS SAT control center in Athens, Greece.
SES ASTRA had been contracted by HELLAS SAT on 30th April 2003, to provide satellite control services for the Hellas-Sat 2 satellite, launched on 12th May 2003, after completion of its launch and early-orbit phase. For a period of 16 months since 20th June 2003, SES ASTRA’s TechCom unit had been ensuring full control of the satellite from its headquarters in Luxembourg, using Thermopylae Earth Station, Greece, which is owned and operated by OTE, and had been in charge of the continuous operation of the satellite on-station, including spacecraft bus, payload and orbital control management.
Since 26th October 2004, HELLAS SAT now assumes full control of the Hellas-Sat 2 satellite from its spacecraft control center in Athens, Greece, which has been installed turn-key by SES ASTRA as part of another contract. In addition, SES ASTRA has provided spacecraft operations training to the Hellas Sat technical personnel in all domains of spacecraft operations and flight dynamics management.
Christodoulos Protopapas, Managing Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors of HELLAS SAT S.A., stated “ We are very proud that the Hellas-Sat 2 satellite is now being operated by Greek Engineers and Scientists. From this moment, Greece really enters to the club of countries which have access to space. We want to thank SES ASTRA for the cooperation and the first class services they provided during the last 16 months and I congratulate the technical teams of both companies for the successful hand-over.”
Pascal Rogiest, in charge of SES ASTRA’s TechCom unit, added: “During 16 months, SES ASTRA has been committed to provide top-quality satellite operations services for the Hellas-Sat 2 satellite. We are glad that HELLAS SAT is now in a position to assume those services on its own, based on the extensive training, and using the spacecraft control centers that SES ASTRA’s engineers have successfully provided. We are satisfied that the quality of our services has been recognised by HELLAS SAT all along the project. Our objective is that SES ASTRA’s TechCom Unit continues to share its technical expertise in the same way with many other satellite operators.”
Für weitere Informationen wenden Sie sich bitte an:
| Yves Feltes Press Relations, SES ASTRA Tel +352 710 725 311 Yves.Feltes@ses-astra.com www.ses-astra.com |
Dieter Richter Presse und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit ewt elektro- und nachrichtentechnik GmbH Tel. +49 821 3106 119 D.Richter@ewt.de |
About Hellas Sat |
www.hellas-sat.net |
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HELLAS SAT Consortium Ltd, a subsidiary of OTE (Hellenic Communication Organization), based in Cyprus, and HELLAS SAT S.A., the 100%-subsidiary based in Greece, provides commercial satellite capacity for Direct-to-Home and telecommunications services (VSAT, satellite Internet, and tele-services) to Europe, the Middle East and South Africa. |
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About SES ASTRA |
www.ses-astra.com |
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The ASTRA Satellite System is the leading Direct-to-Home satellite system in Europe, delivering services to more than 94 million Direct-to-Home and cable households. The ASTRA satellite fleet currently comprises 13 satellites, transmitting in excess of 1400 analogue and digital television and radio channels as well as multimedia and Internet services. ASTRA's two prime orbital positions for DTH (Direct-To-Home) services are 19.2° East and 28.2° East. Professional services such as Direct-to cable (DTC), Satellite Newsgathering (SNG) and Occasional Use are offered from the orbital positions of 23.5° East and 5.2° East.
SES ASTRA is an SES GLOBAL company (Euronext Paris, Luxembourg and Frankfurt stock exchanges: SESG). SES GLOBAL wholly owns two market-leading satellite operators, SES ASTRA in Europe, and SES AMERICOM in the US. The Company also holds strategic participations in AsiaSat in Asia, Star One and Nahuelsat in Latin America, and NSAB in Europe. Via its WORLDSAT subsidiary it provides unparalleled connections to the premier regional satellite fleets of these SES GLOBAL partners. Americom Government Services provides network solutions and bandwidth to the US government and its contractors. SES GLOBAL can provide outstanding satellite communications solutions via a fleet of 40 satellites across the globe. In addition, SES GLOBAL is a shareholder in ORBCOMM, a provider of wireless data communications services through a low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite network, and in satellite technology companies Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. and ND Satcom. SES GLOBAL is also a founding shareholder in SATLYNX, a Luxembourg-based joint venture with Gilat and Alcatel Space, which has created an unrivalled portfolio of reliable and cost-efficient two-way satellite broadband service solutions to enterprises/corporates, small office/home office (SOHO) users and local communities all over Europe. Additional info on SES GLOBAL at: www.ses-global.com. |
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