AsiaSat
| Industry | Satellite communication |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1988 |
| Headquarters | Hong Kong |
| Website | www.asiasat.com |
Asia Satellite Telecommunications Co. Ltd. (commonly AsiaSat, SEHK: 1135) is a commercial operator of communication spacecraft. AsiaSat is based in Hong Kong with two major shareholders, CITIC (34.8 per cent) and Carlyle Asia Partners IV, L.P. (34.1 per cent).
History
In December 2013, AsiaSat commissioned AsiaSat 9—to be built by Space Systems/Loral[1]—originally intending it to be launched in early 2017 in order to replace AsiaSat4 at 122 degrees east.
In early 2015, AsiaSat reported a nine percent revenue drop, and a 27 percent drop in contracts, pointing to a regional oversupply of satellite communication services in the Asian regions it serves.[1] At that time, AsiaSat had four commsats in operation and had recently launched two more—AsiaSat 6 and AsiaSat8—which had added 22 percent additional bandwidth capacity into the shrinking market. Although revenues were down just nine percent—to HK$1,365 billion—2014 profits declined by 25 percent over 2013, to HK$559 million.[1]
Launch history and future plans
This is a list of AsiaSat satellites, both launched and planned for future launch.
| Satellite | Launch Date (UTC) |
Rocket | Launch Site | Contractor | Longitude | Status | Notes | Ref. |
| AsiaSat 1 | 7 April 1990 |  Long March 3
|
Xichang LC-3
|
CASC
|
Decommissioned | Launched as Westar 6 on Space Shuttle mission STS-41B, became stranded in orbit, was retrieved by Space Shuttle mission STS-51A in November 1984, sold to AsiaSat. | ||
| AsiaSat 2 | 28 November 1995 | Long March 2E
|
Xichang LC-2
|
CASC
|
100.5° East | Decommissioned | ||
| AsiaSat 3 | 24 December 1997 |  Proton-K / DM-2M
|
 Baikonur Site 81/23
|
 ILS
|
105.5° East (intended) 158° West (1998) 62° West (1999-2002) |
Decommissioned | Transferred to Hughes Global Services | |
| AsiaSat 3S | 21 March 1999 | Proton-K / DM-2M
|
Baikonur Site 81/23
|
ILS
|
105.5° East | In Service | Replaced AsiaSat 1 in May 1999. | [2] |
| AsiaSat 4 | 12 April 2003 | Atlas IIIB
|
Cape Canaveral LC-36B
|
ILS
|
122° East | In Service | [3] | |
| AsiaSat 5 | 11 August 2009 | Proton-M / Briz-M
|
Baikonur Site 200/39
|
ILS
|
100.5° East | In Service | A replacement satellite for AsiaSat 2 | [4] |
| AsiaSat 6 | 7 September 2014 | Falcon 9 v1.1
|
Cape Canaveral SLC-40
|
SpaceX
|
120° East | In Service | [5] | |
| AsiaSat 7 | 25 November 2011 | Proton-M / Briz-M Enhanced
|
Baikonur Site 200/39
|
ILS
|
105.5° East | In Service | To replace AsiaSat 3S at the orbital location of 105.5° East in late 2014. | [6] |
| AsiaSat 8 | 5 August 2014 | Falcon 9 v1.1
|
Cape Canaveral SLC-40
|
SpaceX
|
105.5° East | In Service | AsiaSat satellite with multiple Ku beams. | [7] |
| AsiaSat 9 | Early 2017 (Planned) | 122° East | Planned | Being built 2013–2015 to be launched in early 2017. Will replace AsiaSat 4 at 122 degrees east. |
References
- ^ a b c de Selding, Peter B. (2015-03-27). "AsiaSat Results Reflect Troop Withdrawals, Capacity Glut". Space News. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
- ^ "AsiaSat 3S". AsiaSat. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- ^ "AsiaSat 4". AsiaSat. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- ^ "AsiaSat 5". AsiaSat. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- ^ "AsiaSat 6". AsiaSat. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- ^ "AsiaSat 7". AsiaSat. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- ^ "AsiaSat 8". AsiaSat. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
External links
- Asia Satellite Telecommunications Co. Ltd.
- AsiaSat 3s @ i-m.ch
- AsiaSat 4 @ i-m.ch[permanent dead link]
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