Orbital Sciences Corporation announced in May 2007 that it received an order from SES AMERICOM for as many as five new satellites over a multi-year period. Orbital stated that SES AMERICOM has placed a firm order for two new satellites, the first designated as AMC-5R and the second a ground spare that was launched to another orbital location as a replacement satellite.

Deliveries of the first two satellites are scheduled for mid and late-2009, respectively. In addition to the two satellites that Orbital will immediately begin constructing, the contract gives SES AMERICOM the option to order up to three more identical satellites over the next few years.

The AMC-5R and the identical ground spare spacecraft will be hybrid satellites, each carrying 24 active C-band and 24 Ku-band transponders of 36 MHz capacity. Some of the channels in each band will also be cross-strapped, enabling new service capabilities. Each spacecraft will generate approximately five kilowatts of payload power and will have two deployable reflectors.

KazSat 2 is a kazakh communications satellite, features 12 Ku-band transponders for fixed communications and 4 Ku-band transponders for TV-transmissions and is intended for telecast, fixed satellite communication and data transmission for Kazakhstan and central asia.

It was ordered in 2006 for a launch in 2009. The lauch was delayed to 2011.

The satellite was originally to supplement the KazSat 1 satellite, but serves now to replace Kazsat 1 due to the complete loss of the first satellite.