[Satellite TODAY 02-16-12]  SES has relocated its AMC-3 satellite as it looks to better serve markets in Latin America. The AMC-3 satellite is moving from its former location of 87 degrees West to 67 degrees West to optimize coverage of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, the company announced Feb. 15. The drift was initiated in January and the satellite is scheduled to arrive at its new orbital location on Feb. 24.

    The AMC-3 satellite has enough fuel to operate in geostationary orbit until 2017. At 67 degrees West, AMC-3 will be co-located with the AMC-4 satellite, which has been providing services over Latin America and the Caribbean since its deployment at this position in 2010.

    In other SES news, the operator announced that its SES-4 satellite was successfully launched yesterday. SES-4 is a 20-kilowatt satellite manufactured on the Space Systems/Loral 1300 platform with 52 C-band and 72 Ku-band transponders. It has C-band beams serving the eastern hemisphere of Europe and Africa, full coverage of the Americas and a global beam to support mobile and maritime customers.