SES World Skies

SES World Skies —formerly SES New Skies, New Skies Satellites (NSS), and SES Americom— was a Dutch operator of communications spacecraft, owned by SES. It was merged into SES in 2011.

On 30 November 1998, several former Intelsat satellites were transferred to New Skies’ control. New Skies operates several satellites, as shown below, and provides global coverage. A sixth satellite — NSS-8 — was intended to enter commercial service in early-2007, but it was destroyed when its Zenit 3SL launch vehicle exploded on the launch pad, on 30 January 2007.

In December 2005 it was announced that SES Global was to purchase 100% of the company; this merger was completed in March 2006. In September 2006 the name was changed from New Skies Satellites to SES NEW SKIES. In July 2008, SES announced the merger of its two international operating units, SES AMERICOM and SES NEW SKIES into a ‘new segment’ with SES NEW SKIES President and CEO Rob Bednarek as President and CEO. The new segment was re-branded as SES WORLD SKIES on 7 September 2009.