Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) (NASDAQ: LORL), the world’s leading provider of commercial satellites, today announced that the AsiaSat 7 satellite, designed and built for Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat), is performing post-launch maneuvers according to plan. The satellite was successfully launched on Friday from the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan aboard an ILS Proton Breeze M vehicle provided by International Launch Services (ILS). The satellite deployed its solar arrays according to schedule following Friday’s launch and it has begun firing its main thruster to complete its journey to geostationary orbit.
“We are very pleased to see AsiaSat 7 successfully launched ahead of schedule,” said William Wade, President and Chief Executive Officer of AsiaSat. “This is the second SS/L-built satellite in our fleet. We have a very successful collaborative relationship with Space Systems/Loral and just announced the contract awards for two more satellites earlier this month.”
AsiaSat 7 is a Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) spacecraft designed to replace AsiaSat 3S at the orbital location of 105.5 degrees East longitude where it will provide television broadcast and VSAT networks across the Asia-Pacific region.
“Both AsiaSat and Space Systems/Loral share a dedication to providing the highest quality of communications services to people throughout the world,” said John Celli, President of Space Systems/Loral. “I would like to thank everyone at AsiaSat, ILS, and Space Systems/Loral whose hard work has led to this successful launch.”
AsiaSat 7 carries a region-wide C-band beam covering Asia, the Middle East, Australasia and Central Asia, and Ku-band beams for East Asia, South Asia and a steerable Ku-beam in addition to a Ka-band payload. It is based on SS/L’s highly reliable 1300 space-proven platform which provides the flexibility to support a broad range of applications and technology advances. The spacecraft is designed to deliver service for 15 years or more. With this launch, there are 67 SS/L-built 1300 satellites currently on orbit.
About AsiaSat
AsiaSat, the leading regional satellite operator in Asia, serves over two-thirds of the world’s population with its four satellites, AsiaSat 3S at 105.5oE, AsiaSat 4 at 122oE, AsiaSat 5 at 100.5oE and AsiaSat 7. The AsiaSat satellite fleet provides services to both the broadcast and telecommunications industries. Over 500 television and radio channels are now delivered by the company’s satellites offering access to over 620 million TV households across the Asia-Pacific region. AsiaSat also provides telecommunications operators and end users services such as voice networks, private VSAT networks and broadband multimedia. AsiaSat has ordered two more satellites, AsiaSat 6 and AsiaSat 8, planned to be launched by early 2014. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Asia Satellite Telecommunications Holdings Limited, a company listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (HongKong: 1135.HK – News). For more information, please visit www.asiasat.com.
About Space Systems/Loral
Space Systems/Loral, a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications (NASDAQ: LORL – News), has a long history of delivering reliable satellites and spacecraft systems for commercial and government customers around the world. As the world’s leading provider of commercial satellites, the company works closely with satellite operators to provide spacecraft for a broad range of services including television and radio distribution, digital audio radio, broadband Internet, and mobile communications. Billions of people around the world depend on SS/L satellites every day. For more information, visit www.ssloral.com.
About Loral Space & Communications
Loral Space & Communications is a satellite communications company. Through its Space Systems/Loral subsidiary, the company is a world-class leader in the design and manufacture of satellites and satellite systems for commercial and government applications including direct-to-home television, broadband communications, wireless telephony, weather monitoring, and air traffic management. Loral also owns 64 percent of Telesat, one of the world’s largest providers of satellite services. Telesat operates a fleet of telecommunications satellites used to broadcast video entertainment programming, distribute direct-to-home video and broadband data services, and other value-added communications services. For more information, visit Loral’s Web site at www.loral.com.
