SES New Skies has awarded the contract for the construction of the NSS-9 satellite has been awarded to Orbital Sciences Corporation. The NSS-9 spacecraft will be positioned at the orbital location of 183° East, allowing NSS-5 to be re-deployed to a new orbital slot. SES will choose a launch service provider for the NSS-9 satellite in the near future.

NSS-9 will carry 28 active C-band transponders and feature three beams that can be interconnected on a transponder-by-transponder basis: A global beam providing coverage of the entire earth visible from 183° East, a West Hemi beam (covering Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, China, Korea and the Pacific Islands) and an East Hemi beam (providing coverage and connectivity to the U.S., Hawaii and Polynesia). The satellite will be specified for a minimum service life of 15 years.

(Source: SES)