AsiaSat Adds to Fleet
| Customer | Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company, Hong Kong SAR, China |
|---|---|
| Spacecraft | Boeing 601HP |
| Launch Date Vehicle Site |
April 11, 2003 Atlas IIIB Cape Canaveral, Florida |
| Orbital slot | 122° East Longitude |
| Contract Life | 15 Years |
Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Ltd. (AsiaSat) ordered its AsiaSat 4 satellite from Boeing Satellite Systems (BSS), Inc., in September 2000. The satellite is a Boeing 601HP or "high power" version of the body-stabilized spacecraft. AsiaSat 4 is designed to provide broadcast, telecommunications and broadband multimedia services to the Asia Pacific region, and direct-to-home broadcast servic-es to Hong Kong, from its orbital position of 122° East longitude.
AsiaSat 4 launched successfully April 11, 2003 on an Atlas IIIB rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla. The satellite will generate up to 9,600 watts using two sun-tracking four-panel solar wings covered with triple-junction gallium arsenide solar cells. AsiaSat 4 will operate in C-band and Ku-band. The satellite carries 28 active transponders with six spares in C-band, powered by 55-watt traveling-wave tube amplifiers (TWTAs), and 20 active transponders with four spares in Ku-band, powered by 140-watt TWTAs.
The C-band payload is designed to offer pan-Asian coverage, similar to AsiaSat 3S, also a 601HP model. The Ku-band payload will offer high power, and spot beams for selected areas in either the Fixed Satellite Service frequency band or in the Broadcast Satellite Service frequency band.
AsiaSat 1 was the first satellite AsiaSat ordered from BSS. It is a 376 model, launched on a Long March rocket in April 1990. AsiaSat 3S is also a Boeing 601HP. The spacecraft was launched in March 1999 aboard a Proton rocket.
AsiaSat is a wholly owned subsidiary of Asia Satellite Telecommunications Holdings Ltd., a company listed on both the Hong Kong (SEHK: 1135HK) and New York (NYSE: SAT) stock exchanges. AsiaSat's two major shareholders are China International Trust and Investment Corporation (CITIC) and Société Européene des Satellites (SES), the operator of Europe's premier ASTRA satellite system.
Boeing Satellite Development Center is the world's leading manufacturer of commercial communications satellites and a major provider of space systems, satellites and pay-loads for national defense, science and environmental applications.
ASIASAT 4 SPECIFICATIONS
| C-Band | 28 active 6 Spare 55-w TWTAs |
|---|---|
| Ku-Band | 20 active 4 spare 140-w TWTAs |
| Solar Beginning of life Panels |
9.6 kw 2 wings, each w/4 panels of triple-junction gallium arsenide solar cells |
|---|---|
| Batteries | 30-cell NiH, 350Ahr |
| Liquid apogee motor | 110 lbf (490 N) |
|---|---|
| Stationkeeping thrusters | 12x2 lbf (10 N) |
| Xenon-Ion Single-leg |
| In Orbit | L, solar arrays:
86 ft (26.2 m) W, antennas: 32 ft 9in (10 m) |
|---|---|
| Stowed | H: 19 ft (5.8 m) W: 11 ft 1 in x 11 ft 5 in (3.4 m x 3.5 m) |
| Mass Launch In orbit (beginning of life) |
9121 lb (4137 kg) 5016 lb (2275 kg) |
| 2 | 50-inch-diameter Ku-band |
|---|---|
| 1 | 107-inch C-band Gregorian shaped-surface antenna |
| 1 | 107-inch Ku-band Gregorian shaped-surface antenna |