The Measat-3 communications satellite has been shipped to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan from Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems‘ satellite-manufacturing facility in El Segundo, California, Boeing reported Nov. 14.

Measat-3 will be readied for a December launch aboard an International Launch Services Proton/Breeze M rocket. The Boeing 601 HP satellite was manufactured for Measat by Boeing Satellite Systems International, and will join the existing Measat-1 and Measat-2 satellites providing service to direct-to-home, broadcasting and telecommunications customers. Measat-3 will be co-located with Measat-1 at 91.5 degrees East longitude. It will carry 24 C-band and 24 Ku-band high-powered transponders, each providing 36 MHz of bandwidth over a 15-year service life.

Measat-3’s C-band payload will provide service over a region representing 70 percent of the world’s population, including Africa, Asia, Australia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.