Sesat is scheduled to go into service in June at the 36 degrees East orbital position. Its 18 Ku-band transponders will be used for a full range of services including data and videobroadcasting, Internet backbone connections, high-speed Internet access, distance-learning, transfer of software, and the Euteltracs messaging and positioning service for mobiles.

Following confirmation of separation of the launcher from the satellite Eutelsat Director General Giuliano Berretta declared: "As the "father" of the geostationary orbit, that is home to all our satellites, we are very proud to dedicate this satellite to Sir Arthur C. Clarke. His visionary theories on use of the geostationary arc (also called the Clarke Belt), presented in Wireless World as far back as 1945, opened the door to radically enhanced communications. As a result, commercial satellite operators such as Eutelsat are today delivering television, radio and interactive services to millions of homes, connecting businesses around the world and now tapping into the Internet for a new generation of sophisticated consumer and corporate services".

As the first satellite contracted by a western satellite operator to a Russian prime contractor (NPO-PM), Sesat is also a ground-breaking industrial venture. The satellite's design, platform and Assembly Integration Tests were managed by NPO-PM and the communications payload was supplied by Alcatel Space. Launch services were provided by the Russian Aviation and Space Agency. With two beams - one stretched Widebeam over Europe, western Siberia, North Africa and the Middle East, and a steerable Spotbeam over India - Sesat will enable Eutelsat to consolidate its position in its core markets, and will open its first gateway to the Indian subcontinent to meet high bandwidth demands for Internet traffic between Europe and India. Up to six of the 18 transponders on the satellite can be switched one by one into the Steerable Beam. Communications can be established between the Widebeam and the Steerable Beam and also within the Steerable Beam in order to offer users a high degree of operational flexibility.

Sesat will shortly be joined at Eutelsat's 36 degrees East orbital position by the W4 satellite which is due for launch in the middle of May from Cape Canaveral by an Atlas III launcher. The two satellites will enable Eutelsat to consolidate its position as a leading provider of capacity for television and data services and open important business opportunities in Russia, Africa and Asia. With the addition of Sesat and W4, Eutelsat's resource will consist of 17 Ku-band satellites spanning the orbital arc from 12.5 degrees West to 48 degrees East.