Telenor Satellite Broadcasting today announced the successful launch of its new satellite, THOR 7.

THOR 7 was successfully launched into space on Sunday April 26, 2015 at 20:00 UTC, from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. On board an Ariane 5 launcher (Arianespace flight VA222), the THOR 7 satellite was successfully injected into geostationary transfer orbit approx. 28 minutes after lift-off.

THOR 7, manufactured by Space Systems Loral (SSL), is Telenor Satellite Broadcasting’s first growth satellite and also features its first high-throughput satellite (HTS) Ka-band payload, specifically designed for the mobility VSAT market to provide high-powered coverage over the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea, the Red Sea, the Baltic Sea, and the Mediterranean.

“I am delighted to see that THOR 7 has safely reached geostationary transfer orbit and thank both Arianespace and our manufacturing partner SSL for this successful launch”, said Morten Tengs, CEO, Telenor Satellite Broadcasting. “From its 1°West location, the THOR 7 satellite will provide growth capacity for DTH services across Central and Eastern Europe and deliver optimal satellite coverage across Europe’s business shipping lanes for the provision of maritime VSAT services.”