International Launch Services (ILS) will orbit the AsiaSat 5 satellite in the July-September quarter, ILS announced.
Asia Satellite Telecommunications Co. Ltd. (AsiaSat) signed a contract with ILS to launch the bird on an ILS Proton lifter.
The satellite, under construction by Space Systems/Loral [LORL] in Palo Alto, Calif., 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-powered 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. Station-keeping lifetime of the satellite should be greatly improved due to the available performance of the Proton launch vehicle, according to ILS.
Frank McKenna, ILS president, said ILS was able to provide the launch for AsiaSat “due to another customer’s change in plans,” which meant ILS had “hardware and manifest availability to support AsiaSat’s schedule needs.”