AsiaSat and SES Astra will be entering the market looking for new satellites.

AsiaSat is preparing a request for proposal (RFP) for a new satellite, AsiaSat 5, which will act as a replacement for AsiaSat 2. The operator expects to go out with an RFP later this year.

The satellite that AsiaSat 5 is replacing, AsiaSat 2, was launched in late 1995. AsiaSat 2, a Lockheed Martin-built satellite, has twenty 36 MHz and four 72 MHz C-band as well as nine 54 MHz Ku-band linearized transponders. AsiaSat 2 is located at 100.5 degrees East.

SES Astra said April 8 that it issued a request for proposal for the procurement of a satellite to be designated ASTRA 1M, which will replace ASTRA 1H and provide back-up capacity for the ASTRA fleet at 19.2 degrees East. The satellite will carry 32 active Ku-band transponders.

SES Astra said the satellite is being procured ahead of the projected satellite replacement schedule in order to provide additional security to support SES Astra’s growth at 28.2 degrees East, an orbital position that serves the U.K. and Irish markets. ASTRA 2C, currently in service at 19.2 degrees East, will relocate to 28.2 degrees East.