Successful launch for Asia-Pacific’s latest broadcast satellite

The latest broadcasting and communications satellite serving the Asia-Pacific has been successfully launched from Cape Canaveral in the United States.

AsiaSat 8 was carried into space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and successfully separated 32 minutes after lift-off.  AsiaSat in Hong Kong received the first signals from the satellite 54 minutes after launch, prior to AsiaSat 8 moving into geostationary orbit some 36,000 km above the Equator.

AsiaSat President and Chief Executive Officer William Wade said the launch was a significant milestone. 

“This is our first launch with SpaceX and we would like to thank them for their excellent work and effort in making the launch a success. In the coming weeks, we will work closely with Space Systems/Loral, our long-term partner, on the post-launch manoeuvres and in-orbit testing of AsiaSat 8,” he said.

“The addition of AsiaSat 8 to our existing fleet of four in-orbit satellites will expand our fleet capacity and enable us to serve a wider range of customers for advanced satellite services, from DTH and data broadcasting to broadband services.”