SES Americom, the Princeton, N.J.-based satellite operating subsidiary of SES Global [Luxembourg: SESG], has conducted its last operations on the GSTAR-4 satellite. The company is de-orbiting the satellite more than 250 kilometers (155 miles) beyond the geosynchronous orbital belt. The Series 3000 spacecraft was built by GE ASTRO SPACE, now Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT], with a design-life of 8.5 years. The satellite provided Ku-band Continental U.S. service for more than 13 years, exceeding its expected service life by more than 150 percent.