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MUMBAI:
Asian satellite operator Asiasat and International Launch
Services (ILS) have announced a contract for the launch of
the Asiasat 5 satellite on an ILS Proton.
The satellite is under construction by Space Systems/Loral
in Palo Alto, California, and is expected to be delivered
to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan early this summer.
ILS and Khrunichev are implementing a mission integration
schedule to support a third quarter 2009 launch.
Asiasat
5 will replace Asiasat 2 at the orbital location of 100.5
degrees East. The new Asiasat 5 will offer an enhanced pan
Asian C-band footprint and high-power Ku-band beams over East
Asia, South Asia, and an in-orbit steerable Ku beam.
The satellite is a Space Systems/Loral 1300 platform, designed
for a lifespan of 15 years. The station-keeping lifetime of
the satellite should be greatly improved due to the available
performance of the Proton launch vehicle.
ILS
president Frank McKenna said, “This was truly a win-win
situation. Due to another customer’s change in plans
we have hardware and manifest availability to support Asiasat’s
schedule needs. ILS is dedicated to providing our long-term
customer, AsiaSat, with outstanding launch services and on-time
delivery with Proton in the third quarter of this year.”
Asiasat
CEO Peter Jackson said, “With this launch opportunity
with ILS, we are setting forth a strategy to launch AsiaSat
5 in keeping with our planned replacement program for AsiaSat
2. ILS Proton offers us the schedule assurance that we need
to ensure continuity of service to our customers at the orbital
location of 100.5 degrees East.”
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