After a slight delay, AsiaSat's latest communications satellite the AsiaSat 6 has been launched into orbit.
SpaceX conducted the launch with its Falcon 9 rocket yesterday at 1pm Hong Kong time.
The satellite detached from the rocket around 32 minutes after launch, and picked up its first signals 55 minutes after launch. The AsiaSat 6 is now moving into its orbital position.
SpaceX had been scheduled to deliver the satellite into orbit on August 27, but delayed the launch to triple-check the Falcon 9 after the failure of a test launch vehicle.
“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,” AsiaSat CEO William Wade commented.
The AsiaSat 6 is a C-band satellite with 28 transponders and a design life of 15 years. It will provide broadband and video distribution services to the Asia-Pacific region.
The launch follows the deployment of the AsiaSat 8, which was conducted by SpaceX in early August.
AsiaSat has also already commissioned the AsiaSat 9, and expects the craft to be ready to launch in 2017.