Falcon 9 Launches Communications Satellite
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 successfully launched the AsiaSat 6 satellite into orbit on Sunday morning.
AsiaSat 6 Successfully Lifts Off
HONG KONG, 7 September 2014 (AsiaSat PR) – AsiaSat 6, the newest communications satellite of Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat), successfully lifted off on 7 September at Hong Kong Time 1:00 p.m. (1:00 a.m. EDT or Cape Canaveral local time). This is the second SpaceX Falcon 9 launch this summer for AsiaSat, after AsiaSat 8 on 5 August.
Approximately 32 minutes after liftoff, the AsiaSat 6 spacecraft successfully separated from the launch vehicle. AsiaSat acquired the first signals from the satellite in Hong Kong 55 minutes after launch. Over the next few days, AsiaSat 6 will move to its operational position, some 36,000 km above the equator where it will undergo in-orbit testing before being brought into commercial use.
“This year marks a major milestone for AsiaSat. The addition of AsiaSat 6 to AsiaSat’s expanding fleet of five in-orbit satellites including the new AsiaSat 8 significantly enhances our capability to offer a wider range of transponder capacity to our clients,” said William Wade, President and Chief Executive Officer of AsiaSat.
“We thank the SpaceX, Space Systems/Loral and the AsiaSat team for their dedication and professionalism in achieving this successful launch. We look forward to offering more quality satellite services on AsiaSat 6 to serve the fast growing demand in the Asia-Pacific region.”
AsiaSat 6, based on Space Systems/Loral 1300 platform, is designed to provide excellent power and region-wide connectivity at its nominal orbital location of 120 degrees East. With 28 high-powered C-band transponders and a design life of 15 years, AsiaSat 6 offers two beams, one global beam and one regional beam for a broad range of video distribution and broadband network services in the Asia-Pacific region.
17 responses to “Falcon 9 Launches Communications Satellite”
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Another success and at a somewhat important time with NASA’s CCiCAP waiting in the wings!
Just keep doing what you’re doing and just keep them coming SpaceX!
CCtCap actually.
Cheers
I think people get confused by the lower case letter, since it is actually a separate word not an abbreviation of a word starting with C, so “Ci/Ct” are a whole different type of abbreviation as “Cap”.
(IMO, NASA shouldn’t have named the funding round, but instead given different names to development levels. A ground test of an abort motor/engine is clearly vastly ahead of a preliminary review of the design of the abort system. An in-flight abort test is a higher level again. It would be better to have “design” milestones classed at a different level to “ground testing” milestones, and “flight testing” at yet another level.)
Yeah it’s a funny way of abbreviating phases of a program.
Quick summary of the Commercial Crew Program also known as CCDev. IIRC:
Phases of CCDev – Commercial Crew Development:
– CCDev1
– CCDev2
– CCiCap – Commercial Crew integrated Capability
– CPC Phase 1 (Certification Products Contract)
– CPC Phase 2 now known as CCtCap – Commerical Crew transportation Capability
Oh well!
Cheers
Not bad. One launch per month, just as Shotwell promised early this year.
Next one is supposed to go up in 2 weeks. Then a gap ’til December. (CRS 4 & 5 respectfully.)
(There was supposed to be a launch in between, but Orbcomm pulled their payload at the last minute to change something.)
Very interesting! I didn’t hear about that!
Thanks for the info!
Edit: I wonder if there were any issues with their satellites launched earlier this year by SpaceX?
Nope, all appears to be well.
Cheers
Cool… I guess with all the Vultures hanging around for a good SpaxeX meal we would have heard something for sure if there was a problem!
Yep that’s a fair assumption IMO but remember that SpaceX is only responsible for getting the spacecraft to orbit. Once it separates from the launch vehicle then anything after that is the province of the spacecraft operator / manufacturer, not the launch provider so long as none of the launch margins i.e. acoustics, vibration,etc, have been violated by the launch vehicle.
Cheers.
Yes that will be a bit of a respite however it’s not like they’ve got nothing else to do (unlike some which shall remain nameless). LOL.
Let’s see off the top and in no particular order of priority:
– F9v1.1 AF certification
– launch abort
– max drag abort
– couple of pads to progress
– Raptor
– Dragon V2
– FH
– MCT
– replacement Grasshopper
Well dang! not much at all.
Cheers
Any word on whether there was a 1st stage fly back attempt?
CRS 4 should have sufficient margin for a flyback attempt but haven’t officially heard anything as yet.
Cheers
CRS 5 will be the next attempt landing on a barge so far as scuttlebutt around the traps goes.
Cheers
This most recent launch did not. the next one probably will.
They did do a retro burn apparently.
Cheers
None for the Asiasat launches.