Artist rendition of the Asiasat 8 satellite.
Photo: SSL

[Via Satellite 10-18-13] Following good progress made in the manufacturing and testing, Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company (AsiaSat) has targeted the Asiasat 8 launch for April 2014.

With the successful completion of all the reference performance testing of the spacecraft’s payload and bus subsystems, AsiaSat 8 commenced Spacecraft Thermal Vacuum (SCTV) testing, which is expected to be completed in November. SCTV testing is a major program milestone that validates a spacecraft’s performance in a simulated space vacuum environment and extreme temperatures.

AsiaSat 8 will be co-located with AsiaSat 3S/AsiaSat 7 at the orbital location of 105.5 degrees east, a slot where AsiaSat has established networks providing service to the Asia-Pacific region since 1990. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will launch AsiaSat 8 from Cape Canaveral, Fla.

AsiaSat 8, a Space Systems/Loral (SSL) 1300 satellite, will have four Ku-band beams and one Ka-band beam. AsiaSat 8’s high-powered Ku-band coverage will be serving China, India, the Middle East and South East Asia. The satellite is equipped with inter-beam switching to meet specific customer requirements.

“This new satellite will help meet the increasing demand for quality capacity from high growth markets in Asia and the Middle East,” said William Wade, president and CEO of AsiaSat.