NSS-8

NSS-8
Operator	SES New Skies
Mission duration	15 years (planned); Failed to orbit
Spacecraft properties
Bus	BSS-702
Manufacturer	Boeing
Launch mass	5,920 kilograms (13,050 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	30 January 2007, 23:22 UTC
Rocket	Zenit-3SL; Flight 24
Launch site	Odyssey
Contractor	Sea Launch
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Geostationary
Longitude	57° East
Epoch	Planned
Transponders
TWTA power	18 kW

NSS-8 was a Dutch telecommunications satellite that was destroyed during launch. It was a Boeing 702 spacecraft with 56 C-band and 36 K_u-band transponders, and it was part of the SES NEW SKIES.

The satellite, which was insured, was destroyed when the rocket that was launching it exploded. The rocket was a Zenit 3SL being launched by Sea Launch from its Ocean Odyssey launch pad. The launch attempt occurred at 23:22 GMT on 30 January 2007. "There was an explosion as we were lifting off," said Paula Korn, a spokeswoman for Sea Launch.^[1]^[2]

NSS-8 was designed to support a wide range of functions, including broadcast applications, government and military operations, corporate communications and Broadband Internet services. When placed in its final orbital position (57° E), the satellite would have provided coverage to two-thirds of the planet, serving countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and Asia.