ULA Atlas V rocket prepared for SES-20/21 satellite launch (picture courtesy of ULA)

ULA Atlas V rocket prepared for SES-20/21 satellite launch.

The ULA Atlas V rocket is prepared for the SES-20/21 satellite launch scheduled in Q4 2022.

Launch Company United Launch Alliance (ULA) is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Boeing Defense, Space & Security. ULA was founded in December 2006 by combining the teams at these companies that provided spacecraft launch services to the government of the United States. U.S. government launch customers included the Department of Defense and NASA, as well as other organizations. With ULA, Lockheed and Boeing held a monopoly on military launches for more than a decade, until the US Air Force awarded a GPS satellite contract to SpaceX in 2016.

SES is the world’s second-largest telecommunications satellite operator by revenue and operates a fleet of more than 55 satellites able to reach 99% of the World’s population. These satellites provide satellite communication services to businesses and government agencies, and broadcast TV and radio channels to audiences worldwide. SES satellites carry more than 6,200 TV channels (including over 1.800 in HD) and more than 40 direct-to-home (DTH) platforms across the world. SES satellites reach almost 300 million TV homes worldwide.

Originally founded in 1985 as Société Européenne des Satellites, the company was renamed SES Global in 2001 and in 2006 renamed SES. SES S.A. is based in Betzdorf, Luxembourg and is listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange and Euronext Paris.

SES is one of the global market leaders of satellite communications services and a pioneer in many important industry developments. In 2007 SES was named ‘Satellite Operator of the Year’^.