SES 11 occupies orbital position 105° W and is entirely focused on the Western Hemisphere. The sathub database records 22 transponders and 210 television and radio channels from this location. The satellite serves markets in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, as well as Brazil and Argentina — while simultaneously providing backbone channels across the Atlantic.
A notable detail in this satellite's history concerns not so much the spacecraft itself, but the launch vehicle. SES 11 became the first fully commercial payload launched by Falcon 9 with a successful first-stage landing on an offshore platform. For commercial spaceflight, this was a precedent.
Launch and Platform
The satellite was built on the SSL 1300 platform by Space Systems Loral — one of the most widely used geostationary platforms in the industry. Its main advantage is flexible power redistribution between beams depending on current load. The launch took place on 12 October 2017 from Cape Canaveral. The design life is 15 years.
Before being transferred to SES management, the spacecraft was built as EchoStar 105 for Dish Network. It is the same satellite — simply with a different designation at different project stages.
Coverage Areas and Reception
All SES 11 beams are directed at the American continent and the Atlantic. For antennas installed in Europe or Ukraine, this position lies beyond the radio horizon — the signal physically does not reach. Even a 3 m diameter antenna will not solve the problem: the issue is not amplification, but orbital geometry.
| Beam | Coverage Area | Typical Antenna Diameter |
|---|---|---|
| Ku-Band North America | USA, Canada, Mexico | 60–90 cm |
| Ku-Band Caribbean | Caribbean islands | 75–100 cm |
| Ku-Band South America | Brazil, Argentina, Chile | 90–120 cm |
| C-Band Americas | North and South America | 180–240 cm |
| C-Band Atlantic | Atlantic Ocean waters | 180–240 cm |
Transponders and Frequency Bands
22 active transponders are distributed between C and Ku bands. The Ku band is tailored for DTH broadcasting: a subscriber dish of 60–90 cm in North America reliably receives the signal even in moderate cloud cover. The C band provides wider regional coverage — it is less susceptible to rain attenuation, which is why it is chosen for backbone channels, corporate networks, and data transmission across the Atlantic.
Broadcasting is conducted in DVB-S2 standard with QPSK and 8PSK modulation. This allows efficient packing of HD and UHD content within available bandwidth.
Television Packages and Free-to-Air Channels
The main capacity lessees are Dish Network and EchoStar, which host a significant portion of their content package for the USA and Latin America here. In total, the sathub database records 210 channels: some are free-to-air (FTA), the rest are encoded subscription packages. Besides television broadcasting, the position is actively used for commercial data transmission channels for corporate clients.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can SES 11 be received in Ukraine or Poland?
- No. Position 105° W lies beyond the radio horizon for all of Europe. This is a matter of geometry, not signal strength or antenna size.
- What is the difference between SES 11 and EchoStar 105?
- There is no difference — it is the same spacecraft. EchoStar 105 was the working designation during construction for Dish Network; after being transferred to SES management, the satellite received its current designation.
- Why are different bands used on SES 11?
- Ku band is for DTH broadcasting to subscriber dishes of 60–90 cm in North America. C band provides wide-area coverage of the Americas and Atlantic, backbone connections and corporate networks, where resistance to rain attenuation is critical.
- What does the SSL 1300 platform provide in practice?
- Flexible power redistribution between beams in real time. If load on one region increases — the operator can redirect resources from less loaded beams. For a commercial satellite with a 15-year design life, this is a significant advantage.