[Satellite TODAY 10-25-11] Satellite manufacturer Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) shipped theAsiaSat 7 communications satellite it designed and built for Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat) one month ahead of schedule, SS/L confirmed Oct. 24.
SS/L also announced that the satellite arrived safely at the Baikonur Space Center, where it will be launched aboard an International Launch Services (ILS) Proton Breeze M vehicle. The launch is currently scheduled for Nov. 26.
“To ensure service continuity, AsiaSat retires satellite production schedule and launch risks through an early procurement process. SS/L’s exemplary performance means that we will have additional capacity on-orbit well ahead of the planned date for the AsiaSat 3S replacement,” AsiaSat President and CEO William Wade said in a statement.
AsiaSat 7 will carry 28 C-band and 17 Ku-band transponders, and a Ka-band payload. The FSS spacecraft aims to provide television broadcast services and support telephone networks and VSAT networks across the Asia-Pacific region. AsiaSat 7 will ultimately replace AsiaSat 3S at the orbital location of 105.5 degrees East when the latter reaches its end of life in 2014.
