Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat) announced the signing of a Launch Agreement with International Launch Services (ILS) to launch AsiaSat 4 aboard an Atlas III rocket in the first half of 2002.
AsiaSat 4, AsiaSat’s fourth satellite, will be positioned at the orbital slot of 122 degrees East. It is a Hughes HS601HP satellite, carrying 28 C-band and 20 Ku-band transponders with an operational life of 15 years.
The C-band payload will offer extensive footprint similar to that of AsiaSat 2 and AsiaSat 3S. The Ku-band payload, consisting of 16 Ku-band transponders operating in the FSS (Fixed Satellite Service) frequency band and four operating in the BSS (Broadcast Satellite Service) frequency band, is designed for providing high power coverage and spot beams for selected areas.
“We chose Atlas as the launch vehicle for AsiaSat 4 because of its reliable technical performance and excellent track record. We are glad that we made another major resolution in our commissioning of AsiaSat 4.
We look forward to offering new satellite services and applications on AsiaSat 4, in particular the provision of Direct-to-Home (DTH) broadcast services to Hong Kong in 2002,” said Peter Jackson, Chief Executive Officer of AsiaSat.
ILS, headquartered in Virginia, USA, is a joint venture stock company established in 1995 to jointly market Proton and the Lockheed Martin Astronautics-built Atlas to the worldwide satellite launch market. ILS is owned by Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services and the Lockheed Khrunichev Energia International joint venture.
AsiaSat is Asia’s leading provider of high-quality satellite services to both the broadcast and telecommunications markets. AsiaSat is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Asia Satellite Telecommunications Holdings Limited, a company listed on both the Hong Kong and New York stock exchanges.
