AsiaSat and SSL have announced that the high performance AsiaSat 9 satellite has arrived at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, where it will be launched aboard a Proton Breeze M vehicle provided by International Launch Services (ILS). AsiaSat 9, a replacement satellite for AsiaSat 4 at 122-degrees East, provides wider high-power C-band coverage and additional Ku-band capacity for new markets including Myanmar and Indonesia for direct-to-home (DTH) television broadcast, video distribution, VSAT broadband networks and mobility services across the Asia-Pacific region.
“AsiaSat and SSL have a history of working together closely to broaden the availability of high quality satellite service in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Dario Zamarian, Group President of SSL. “AsiaSat 9 incorporates multiple technology advances that pack more power, bandwidth, and flexibility into the satellite for the improved coverage and higher communication rates that AsiaSat needs to meet market demand. With the satellite now in Baikonur, we look forward to working with both AsiaSat and ILS to prepare it for launch.”
“We are committed to providing high quality service to both our existing customers and new users as we reach a new milestone for higher-performance, higher-efficiency and greater flexibility with our new AsiaSat 9,” said Andrew Jordan, President and Chief Executive Officer of AsiaSat. “SSL has been a reliable and innovative manufacturing partner in the development of our fleet, and we look forward to the upcoming launch.”
AsiaSat 9 is AsiaSat’s most powerful satellite, designed to deliver significantly improved power and higher bandwidth usage to generate higher efficiency for customers’ services. This is enabled by innovative and unique features including Asia’s highest powered 110 watts C-band TWTA, special filter design to achieve higher throughput up to 23% enhancement across wide C-band coverage, star tracker onboard the spacecraft for higher pointing accuracy, along with hall effect thrusters to provide higher stability and more efficient satellite operation.
With 32 Ku- and 28 C-band transponders, and a regional Ka-band payload, AsiaSat 9 carries the world’s first dedicated Ku-band Myanmar beam, new high-powered Ku-band beams for Indonesia and Mongolia, in addition to two enhanced Ku-band beams serving Australasia and East Asia. These five Ku-band beams are equipped with cross-strap beam switching capability to provide flexible coverage.
AsiaSat 9 is the fifth satellite that SSL has provided to AsiaSat. Based on the SSL 1300 platform, the satellite is designed to provide service for 15 years or more. The satellite is currently planned for launch on 28 September.
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