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| Overview |
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Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat) was formed in 1988 as Asia's first privately owned regional satellite operator. Since the launch of its first satellite, AsiaSat 1, on 7th April 1990, the company has been dedicated to providing high quality satellite services in the Asia Pacific region.
AsiaSat currently operates three in-orbit satellites, AsiaSat 2, AsiaSat 3S and AsiaSat 4 that provide access to more than 50 countries and regions across the Asia Pacific, and over two-thirds of the world's population.
AsiaSat 2 was launched by a Long March 2E rocket in November 1995 and commenced commercial operation in January 1996. AsiaSat 2, a Lockheed Martin Series 7000 satellite operating at an orbital location of 100.5 degrees East, offers a pan-Asian C-band coverage and a high-power Ku beam serving the Greater China region, Korea and Japan.
AsiaSat 3S was launched by a Proton D-1-e rocket in March 1999 and started commercial service in May 1999 when it replaced AsiaSat 1 at the orbital location of 105.5 degrees East. AsiaSat 3S is a Boeing 601HP satellite and has a C-band footprint similar to that of AsiaSat 2, as well as two Ku-band fixed beams covering East and South Asia, and an in-orbit steerable Ku beam now positioned over Australia.
AsiaSat 4 was launched by an Atlas IIIB rocket in April 2003 and commenced commercial operation in July 2003 at the orbital location of 122 degrees East. AsiaSat 4, a Boeing 601HP satellite, offers extensive C-band coverage across the Asia Pacific region and focused Ku beams for Australasia, East Asia and Hong Kong.
On 28th April 2006, AsiaSat placed an order for AsiaSat 5, a Space Systems/Loral 1300 series satellite designed to replace AsiaSat 2 at the orbital location of 100.5 degrees East in 2009. AsiaSat 5's C-band footprint will offer a powerful pan Asian coverage and three high-power Ku beams, two of which will cover East Asia and South Asia, and an in-orbit steerable beam.
AsiaSat's satellite fleet provides services to both the broadcast and telecommunications industries. Over 100 public and private television and radio broadcasters from around the world are now served by the AsiaSat satellite system, offering some 300 television channels. A variety of telecommunications services including public telephone networks, private VSAT networks, high-speed Internet and multimedia services are also available on the system.
AsiaSat is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Asia Satellite Telecommunications Holdings Limited, a company listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (Stock Code:1135). AsiaSat's two major shareholders are CITIC Group and General Electric Company (GE). |
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| 18 Jul 2008 |
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