SES Astra reports that its new Astra 1M satellite has been successfully deployed at its final orbital position at 19.2 degrees East and is ready for commercial operations.

The satellite, which was built by EADS Astrium and launched from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on 5 November 2008 has successfully passed all necessary in-orbit tests of the hardware and broadcasting functionalities on board.

With its 36 transponders, Astra 1M will deliver Direct-to-Home (DTH) and HDTV services to continental Europe thereby offering important replacement capacity and reinforcing Astra's position as the most important HDTV platform in Europe.

"With Astra 1M now operational, we have reached another very important milestone in our fleet renewal programme, thus maintaining and strengthening our main orbital position at 19.2 degrees East and further increasing our flexibility in deploying our fleet," said Ferdinand Kayser, President and CEO of SES Astra.