AsiaSat, one of Asia’s largest satellite operators, has announced that it will launch AsiaSat 9 via a Proton-M on 28 September 2017 at Baikonur.
AsiaSat 9 will be the 10th satellite launched by the company to date, and will replace AsiaSat 4 to take its place in AsiaSat’s constellation of 6 satellites. Like AsiaSat 4, it will be placed at 122 Degrees East and will serve Asia, Australasia and the Pacific. New services include the world’s first dedicated Ku-band Myanmar beam, and new Ku-band Indonesia and Mongolia beams.
Manufactured by Space Systems Loral (SSL), AsiaSat 9 will also be the company’s most powerful satellite, with higher throughput and an increased coverage of 23%. It will be equipped with a Ka-band payload, 32 Ku-band transponders, and 28 C-band transponders including a very powerful C-band TWTA (Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier) that will enable coverage in the Pacific.
“We are excited to announce the launch date of the AsiaSat 9 mission following the long-awaited return of Proton’s service and its recent successful launch in June,” said Andrew Jordan, President and CEO of AsiaSat.
“With our newest satellite AsiaSat 9, we are primed to serve existing customers and new users as we reach a new milestone, presenting more cost-efficient opportunities, enhanced quality and faster services for applications through mobility, broadband data networks, and DTH services,” he added.
The AsiaSat 9 launch will be the second by a Proton-M this year; after having been decommissioned for a year, the Proton-M returned to the Launchpad in June 2017 carrying Echostar 21.