AsiaSat 6

AsiaSat 6 / ThaiCom 7
Launch of AsiaSat 6 on the Falcon 9
Mission type Communications
Operator AsiaSat
COSPAR ID 2014-052A
SATCAT no. 40141
Mission duration 15 years
Spacecraft properties
Bus LS-1300LL
Manufacturer Space Systems/Loral
Launch mass 4428 kg[1]
Start of mission
Launch date 7 September 2014, 05:00 (2014-09-07UTC05Z) UTC
Rocket Falcon 9 v1.1
Launch site Cape Canaveral SLC-40
Contractor SpaceX
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Geostationary
Longitude 120° East
Semi-major axis 42,164.05 kilometres (26,199.53 mi)[2]
Eccentricity 4.82E-05[2]
Perigee 35,791 kilometres (22,239 mi)[2]
Apogee 35,795 kilometres (22,242 mi)[2]
Inclination 0.02 degrees[2]
Period 1436.11 minutes[2]
Epoch 24 January 2015, 22:30:44 UTC[2]
Transponders
Band 28 C band
Bandwidth 36 MHz
Coverage area Asia
Australia
New Zealand
TWTA power 100 watts

AsiaSat 6 / Thaicom 7 is a geostationary communications satellite which is operated by the Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company (AsiaSat) and was launched into orbit on 7 September 2014.

The satellite project was developed in cooperation between satellite operators AsiaSat and Thaicom. AsiaSat owns half of the satellite’s 28 transponders which are marketed as AsiaSat 6. The other half of the satellite is owned by Thaicom and is marketed as Thaicom 7.

AsiaSat’s part of the satellite is operated under license of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), whereas Thaicom’s part is operated under license of Thailand.

AsiaSat 6 / Thaicom 7 was built by Space Systems/Loral, and is based on the LS-1300LL satellite bus.[3][4] The satellite carries 28 C band transponders and is positioned at a longitude of 120 degrees East,[5] providing coverage over southern Asia, Australia and New Zealand.[6]

Launch vehicle

SpaceX was contracted to launch AsiaSat 6 / Thaicom 7 using a Falcon 9 v1.1 launch vehicle. The launch took place from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on 7 September 2014.[7]

The Falcon 9 upper stage used to launch AsiaSat 6 / Thaicom 7 was derelict in a decaying elliptical low-Earth orbit from September to December 2014. Initially, on 9 September 2014, it orbited with a perigee of 165 km (103 mi) and an apogee of 35,723 km (22,197 mi).[8] One month on, the orbit had decayed to an altitude of 153 km (95 mi)at its closest approach to Earth,[9] and by November had decayed to a 125 km (78 mi) perigee.[10] The derelict rocket body reentered the atmosphere on 28 December 2014.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.spacenews.com/article/launch-report/41780spacex-launches-asiasat-6-a-month-after-lofting-asiasat-8
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "ASIASAT 6 Satellite details 2014-052A NORAD 40141". N2YO. 24 January 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  3. ↑ "AsiaSat 6". Space Systems/Loral. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  4. ↑ Krebs, Gunter. "AsiaSat 6 / Thaicom 7". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  5. ↑ "AsiaSat 6". Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  6. ↑ "Asiasat 6 (Thaicom 7)". SatBeams.com. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  7. ↑ Wall, Mike (2014-09-07). "Dazzling SpaceX Nighttime Launch Sends AsiaSat 6 Satellite Into Orbit". SPACE.com. Retrieved 2014-09-07.
  8. ↑ "FALCON 9 R/B details 2014-052B NORAD 40142". N2YO. Retrieved 2014-09-09.
  9. ↑ "FALCON 9 R/B details 2014-052B NORAD 40142". N2YO. Retrieved 2014-10-07.
  10. ↑ "FALCON 9 R/B details 2014-052B NORAD 40142". N2YO. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  11. ↑ "FALCON 9 R/B details 2014-052B NORAD 40142". N2YO. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
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