As the first of 33 Chilean miners trapped for a record 69 days was successfully rescued, SES WORLD SKIES, a division of SES S.A., was enabling broadcasters and news agencies to update captivated audiences around the world.

The NSS-7 satellite, a powerful, hybrid spacecraft over the Atlantic Ocean, was instrumental in delivering live coverage to millions of television viewers and radio listeners from the U.S. to Japan and everywhere in between.

JapanChilean Mine Rescue Captures Global Audience Via Satellites public broadcasting organization, NHK, tapped 27 MHz of occasional capacity aboard the SES WORLD SKIES satellite to bring live details and personal profiles of the miners to enthralled onlookers glued to the unprecedented drama.

"The world rarely has the opportunity to watch such a successful and heartwarming rescue unfold before the eyes and ears of millions in virtually every corner of the globe," said Nasu Hiroyuki, Senior Producer, Manager Circuit Planning and Management at the News Department of Japan Broadcasting Corporation NHK.

"SES WORLD SKIESChilean Mine Rescue Captures Global Audience Via Satellite NSS-7 satellite enabled our viewers to reach into that Chilean mine to see 33 miners reunited with loved ones for the first time in nearly two-and-a-half months."

"The Chilean mine rescue is an exciting example of how satellite is always on and always ready to deliver breaking news as it happens from virtually anywhere in the world - including a remote, desert mine in San Jose, Chile," explained Samantha McCloskey, Vice President of Global Occasional Use Services and Special Events for SES WORLD SKIES.

"NHK and dozens of other innovative broadcasters and global news organizations depended on the reach and reliability of our satellite and team, as the real-life rescue gripped its global audience from start to finish."