[11-19-07 – Satellite Today] A Russian Proton rocket placed the Sirius 4 satellite into orbit for SES Sirius Nov. 18, International Launch Services (ILS) announced. This is the first commercial Proton mission since a September launch failure.
    Sirius 4 will be located at 5° East and deliver broadcast and broadband services across Europe as well as transmit high-definition TV channels.
Håkan Sjödin, managing director of SES Sirius, told Satellite News in a recent interview that he has high hopes that Sirius 4 will lead to even more revenues being derived from Eastern Europe, a key target for the company. “Eastern Europe represents around 20 percent of our current revenues, but over the next few years I expect it to grow beyond 50 percent,” he said.
    Sirius 4 also will carry an African beam which will be marketed by SES Astra. Commercial operations are expected to begin in January.