Astra 2G satellite is the third and final new UK TV satellite for the 28.2 east orbital slot, scheduled for launch on the 28th November 2014.

However, recent reports suggest it may not be used immediately for UK TV.

Reports suggest that Astra 2G will initially be used to help secure a Luxembourg-registered orbital slot reservation that otherwise expires in January, the Luxembourg Defense Minister said.

SES’s Astra 2G satellite, built mainly to bolster existing capacity for direct-broadcast television into Britain and Ireland, will be used to “bring into use” the Luxembourg military satellite system by occupying the future GovSat slot for at least three months. That is enough, under current International Telecommunication Union rules, to preserve a reservation.

Once it has fulfilled this task, Astra 2G will be moved to its permanent location at 28.2 or 28.5 degrees east, one of SES’s key TV-broadcast orbital neighbourhoods.

So it looks as if it will be at least mid 2015 before Astra 2G is scheduled to be used for UK TV.

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