
AsiaSat 9 was launched on September 28, 2017, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The satellite is positioned at 122 degrees East longitude, providing coverage to Asia, the Pacific, and the Indian Ocean.
AsiaSat 9 has a launch mass of approximately 5,600 kilograms and a design life of 15 years.
The satellite is equipped with 28 C-band transponders, 24 Ku-band transponders, and 6 Ka-band transponders.
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Launch Details
AsiaSat 9 was launched on 28 September 2017, from Site 200/39 at the Baikonur.
The launch vehicle used was a Proton-M / Briz-M, which was contracted by International Launch Services (ILS).
The launch took place at 18:52:16 UTC.
AsiaSat 9 replaced AsiaSat 4.
Here is a list of the launch details:
- Launch date: 28 September 2017
- Launch site: Site 200/39 at the Baikonur
- Launch vehicle: Proton-M / Briz-M
- Contractor: International Launch Services (ILS)
- Replacement satellite: AsiaSat 4
Operational at 122°E
AsiaSat 9 is fully operational at 122°E, a significant milestone for the satellite's functionality.
The satellite was launched on 29 September 2017 at 00:52:16 Baikonur time, and 02:52:16 Hong Kong time, which is equivalent to 18:52:16 GMT.
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The launch was a success, with separation for Stages 1, 2 & 3 and PLF Jettison completed successfully.
Here's a breakdown of the key events that led to AsiaSat 9's operational status:
- 1st main engine burn completed successfully
- 2nd main engine burn completed successfully
- 3rd main engine burn completed successfully
- 4th main engine burn completed successfully
- 5th main engine burn completed successfully
After a series of engine burns, AsiaSat acquired the first signals from the satellite in Hong Kong 7 hours, 54 minutes after the launch.
The satellite's solar arrays and antenna reflectors were also deployed successfully, allowing it to begin its operational phase.
AsiaSat 9 arrived at 122ºE, marking the end of its journey to its final operational position.
The satellite's power output is a significant 20765 watts, which is a crucial factor in its operational capacity.
Here's a breakdown of the satellite's transponder configuration:
- 28 C-band transponders - TWTA @ 110 watts
- 32 Ku-band transponders - TWTA @ 200 watts
- Ka-band regional payload - TWTA @ 123 watts
These transponders will enable AsiaSat 9 to provide a wide range of services to its users.
Unique Benefits & New Features
AsiaSat 9 is a game-changer in satellite technology, offering a range of unique benefits and cutting-edge features that set it apart from the competition.
With its powerful Ku-band Beam, AsiaSat 9 provides flexible coverage options, allowing for uplink from East Asia beam and downlink via Myanmar beam, or vice versa.
One of the standout features of AsiaSat 9 is its improved uplink G/T contour, which allows for optimized usage of customer HPA for remote sites.
Employing a special filter design on the spacecraft, AsiaSat 9 achieves higher bandwidth for C-band transponders, resulting in significantly higher throughput.
The spacecraft's conduction-cooled LTWTA improves panel layout, providing a more consistent EIRP across channels and a higher degree of performance stability for multi-transponder customers.
AsiaSat 9 is equipped with a robust Star Tracker, which ensures a higher pointing accuracy of about 20% better than traditional earth sensor only spacecraft.
Its Stationary Plasma Thrusters (SPTs) use Hall Effect Thrusters, which provide more efficiency than chemical thrusters, resulting in higher stability and reliability for stationkeeping and better performance at the edge of coverage.
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Development Process
The development process of AsiaSat 9 was a long and meticulous one, with several key milestones reached throughout 2015 and 2016.
AsiaSat 9 passed its critical main body structural testing in June 2015, marking a significant step forward in its development.
The satellite's subsystems integration was making good progress by July 2015, with the team working diligently to ensure everything was in place for the next phase.
Bi-propellant tanks were installed in September 2015, a crucial component for the satellite's propulsion system.
The launch vehicle preliminary design review was successfully completed in Moscow in March 2016, bringing the satellite one step closer to launch.
Manufacturing of AsiaSat 9 proceeded smoothly as planned in August 2016, with the team working efficiently to meet the project's deadlines.
Testing of the satellite in a simulated space environment took place in November 2016, allowing the team to identify and address any potential issues.
Spacecraft dynamics and acoustic testing were conducted in January 2017, further ensuring the satellite's reliability and performance.
The compact antenna test range was used in March 2017 to test the satellite's antenna systems.
The satellite pre-ship review was successfully concluded in May 2017, marking a major milestone in the development process.
AsiaSat 9 arrived at the Baikonur launch base in August 2017, ready for final preparations before launch.
The successful lift-off of AsiaSat 9 took place on September 29, 2017, bringing the satellite one step closer to its operational deployment.
AsiaSat 9 arrived at its final destination of 122°E on October 9, 2017, marking the end of its journey to orbit.
The satellite was fully operational at 122ºE by November 2017, providing high-quality services to its customers.
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