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The NSS-9 commercial GEO communications satellite was launched aboard an Ariane 5 rocket on February 12, 2009 from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Built by Orbital for SES NEW SKIES, the satellite will be positioned at the orbital location of 183 degrees East, allowing the NSS-5 satellite to be re-deployed to a new orbital slot.
Based on Orbital's STAR-2™ satellite bus, NSS-9 carries 28 active C-band Traveling Wave Tube Amplifiers (TWTAs) and features three beams that can be interconnected on a transponder-by-transponder basis:
- a global beam providing coverage of the entire earth visible from 183 degrees 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).
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NSS-9 is the second of five satellites Orbital is scheduled to deliver to the SES Global family of companies in the near future. Orbital provided the AMC-21 satellite as part of a team with Thales Alenia Space which was launched in August 2008 for SES AMERICOM. In addition, as part of a multi-satellite contract from SES AMERICOM, Orbital is currently building the AMC-5R satellite and two additional spacecraft.