[SatNews] Airbus Defence & Space is reporting that the Astra 2G telecommunications satellite that was launched in Kazakhstan, on December 27, 2014, has been successfully deployed in geo-stationary orbit.

The ASTRA 2G launch by ILS.

Photo is courtesy of Khrunichev.

Designed and manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space for satellite operator SES, Astra 2G is based on the highly reliable Eurostar E3000 platform. A series of maneuvers enabled the satellite to reach geo-stationary orbit on January 2, the solar arrays and reflector antennas have been deployed and the satellite has acquired final Earth pointing. The satellite will now be fully tested before entering service.

Astra 2G will provide, from its orbital location at 28.2/28.5 degrees East, the next generation broadcast and broadband services to the UK and Ireland, Europe and West Africa. Astra 2G is the ninth Eurostar satellite in the SES fleet. Three more E3000s are currently in production for SES.

The Airbus D&S infosite is located at http://airbusdefenceandspace.com/