APT Satellite launches Apstar 9 on a Long March 3B/E rocket. Photo: APT Satellite

[Via Satellite 10-19-2015] APT Satellite launched Apstar 9, its replacement satellite for Apstar 9A, on Oct. 17 aboard a Long March 3B/E rocket. Apstar 9 is based on China Great Wall Industry Corp.’s (CGWIC) DFH-4 series platform and carries 39.5 C-band 36 MHz Transponder Equivalents (TPE) and 21 Ku-band TPEs. The spacecraft’s C-band payloads cover the Asia Pacific and South East Asia, while its Ku-band footprint stretches from the East Indian Ocean to the West Pacific Ocean, targeting In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) and maritime broadband verticals.

Immediately following the launch, APT Satellite entered a contract with CGWIC for Apstar 6C. Also based on the DFH-4 platform, Apstar 6C will be equipped with 45 transponders in C, Ku, and Ka bands, with a design service life of 15 years. Apstar 6C is a replacement satellite for Apstar 6, which launched in 2005, and is also able to serve as a backup plan for other under-planning Apstar satellite programs. The satellite is being designed for high-power transponder services to customers across the Asia-Pacific region such as VSAT, video distribution, DTH television and cellular backhaul.