Shin Satellite Public Co. Ltd. deorbited its ailing Thaicom 3 satellite following a power loss, the company announced. Thaicom 3, built by Alcatel Alenia Space and launched in 1997, has been plagued by glitches in the power supplies of certain Ku-band transponders since 2003. In July, the company completed the transfer of customers from Thaicom 3 to the new Thaicom 5 satellite.

Despite the ongoing problems, Shin has hoped to use Thaicom 3 to tap the Middle East market. While those plans have been derailed, Shin Executive Chairman Dumrong Kasemset said the loss of Thaicom 3 would not affect the company’s projected 2006 revenues.