New communications satellite will allow television programmes to be broadcast directly to mobile phones.
A telecommunications satellite built for Dublin-based company Solaris Mobile has been successfully launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The satellite was lifted into space on a Russian rocket and will send television signals directly to mobile phones.
On board the Proton M rocket, launched on 3 April 2009, is the W2A Communications Satellite.
A satellite that will broadcast television programmes directly to mobile phones.
According to Russian space officials, the satellite successfully detached from the launcher in the middle of the night. It is now under the control of Eutelsat, one of Europe's leading satellite operators. Eutelsat joined forces with another satellite operator, SES Astra, last year to form Solaris Mobile, a new company based in Dublin. Their job was to build and launch this satellite. Solaris Mobile currently employs 15 people in Dublin and has plans to create up to 50 jobs over the next three years.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 4 April 2009. The reporter is Bethan Kilfoil.
This report contains International Launch Services footage.
