BREMEN, Germany — Satellite fleet operator SES on Oct. 25 served notice to satellite manufacturers that the company its revamping its procurement practices, moving to all-digital payloads, commercial components, and a 50% reduction in satellite service life and launch mass.

SES expects to order 4-5 geostationary-orbit satellites per year in the coming years, which may be more than any other single fleet operator.

With a current 56-satellite fleet, that would not be unexpected just to replace existing capacity. But SES Chief Technical Officer Martin . . .

This content is restricted to subscribers