A Russian Proton-M rocket completed the successful launch today of an advanced Chinese communications satellite that should help expand television coverage in parts of Southeast Asia. The Roscosmos space agency said the AsiaSat 7 satellite was placed in its designed orbit at 0423 GMT after being launched from the Baikonur space centre in ex-Soviet Kazakhstan last evening. Read more
AsiaSat 7, a new communications satellite designed and built for Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat) by Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) (NASDAQ: LORL), the world's leading provider of commercial satellites, arrived at the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan , where it will be launched aboard an ILS Proton Breeze M vehicle provided by International Launch Services (ILS). The launch is currently scheduled for 26 November Baikonur time. AsiaSat 7 is a Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) spacecraft that will provide television broadcast, telephone networks and VSAT networks across the Asia-Pacific region. AsiaSat 7 will ultimately replace AsiaSat 3S at the orbital location of 105.5 degrees East longitude when the latter reaches its end of life in 2014.