Hughes Space and Communications is set to launch AsiaSat 3S, an HS 601HP satellite, for Asia Satellite Telecommunications Co. Ltd. of Hong Kong. It will be the second launch of the year for Hughes. The launch window onboard a Proton rocket opens at 5:09 a.m. in Baikonur on Sunday, March 21.
"We appreciate the efforts made by Hughes to deliver AsiaSat 3S in a timely manner," said Peter Jackson, chief executive officer of AsiaSat. "This ensures our ability to continue to provide high quality service from the prime 105.5 degrees East orbital location well before the end of life for AsiaSat 1. We look forward to a successful launch."
AsiaSat 3S is an HS 601HP, for high-power, spacecraft with nearly 10,000 watts of power. Designed to provide television distribution and telecommunications service throughout Asia, the Middle East, Australasia, and the Commonwealth of Independent States, AsiaSat 3S is designed to provide a minimum of 15 years of service.
"It is particularly rewarding to see the launch of a satellite as important as AsiaSat 3S," said Tig Krekel, president and chief executive officer of Hughes Space and Communications Company. "This will be the second Hughes-built satellite in AsiaSat's fleet, and we are proceeding now with a third. Our commitment to AsiaSat and its customers remains firm."
During the 30 days after launch, AsiaSat 3S will then undergo in-orbit testing prior to handover to AsiaSat. At that time, it will replace AsiaSat 1, a Hughes-built HS 376 spin-stabilized satellite that was launched in 1990.
