PARIS — Astrium Satellites of Europe will build the all-Ku-band Measat-3b satellite for fleet operator Measat of Malaysia, permitting Measat to more than double its Ku-band capacity at the 91.5 degrees east orbital slot, Measat announced June 7.

Measat-3b will carry 48 Ku-band transponders and will operate alongside the Measat-3 and Measat-3a satellites already at that orbital slot. But unlike these two spacecraft, Measat-3b will not carry a C-band payload.

Measat said the satellite would carry direct-broadcast television and professional video services to customers in Malaysia, India and Indonesia, with sufficient capacity to “support a fourth market” that Measat did not identify. The India beam will be designed to cover the whole of the Indian subcontinent.

In addition to expanding Measat’s service offering, Measat-3b “will also add further redundancy to our fleet, creating the region’s most robust satellite network able to provide the highest levels of service assurance to our customers,” Measat Chairman Datuk Umar bin Haji Abu said in a June 7 statement.

Measat said a launcher for the satellite has not been selected. Astrium Satellites said in a statement that Measat-3b, a Eurostar 3000 platform, will weigh about 5,800 kilograms at launch and deliver 16 kilowatts of power to its payload.

 

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