SATELLITE PROVIDER SES has grown through key acquisitions to become a leading multi-orbit operator powering some of the most popular connectivity brands in business aviation.

A recent landmark deal was the $3.1bn purchase of Intelsat in 2024, combining two of the industry’s largest operators.

The company operates about 120 satellites in geostationary and medium Earth orbit with further access to the OneWeb LEO network. It expects eight further satellites to launch before 2030.

Through its partnership with Gogo, SES offers the FlexExec connectivity solution built on its global, multi-layered, high-throughput satellite network exclusive to business aviation. Operated via the Plane Simple Ku-band advanced tail-mount antenna, FlexExec offers a range of service plans to suit users’ needs.

SES also powers Collins Aerospace’s LuxStream via the Collins KuSAT-2000 satcom terminal offering high-speed, high-throughput connectivity across the globe with the exception of the polar regions.

The company, officially Société Européenne des Satellites, was born out of the initiative of the Luxembourg government to establish Europe’s first private satellite operator. Founded in 1985, the company launched its first satellite Astra 1A in 1988.

SES quickly became a force in European television broadcasting and went public on the Luxembourg stock exchange in 1998.

From there it expanded aggressively with key acquisitions giving access to markets in Asia, North America, African and the Middle East.

A big shift came in 2009 when SES invested in the O3b Networks project, a medium Earth orbit constellation designed to deliver low-latency, high-speed internet. This moved the company beyond its traditional geostationary satellite business.

In the 2010s, SES consolidated its global operations under a single brand and launched next-generation satellites, including SES-8 in 2013, which was the first geostationary satellite launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.