AsiaSat 7, photo courtesy of Space Systems/Loral

AsiaSat 7, a new communications satellite of Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat), is scheduled for launch at Hong Kong Time 3:10 a.m. on the November 26th by an ILS Proton Breeze M launch vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. AsiaSat 7 is a new generation satellite designed to replace AsiaSat 3S at the orbital location of 105.5 degrees East. Based on the Space Systems/Loral 1300 platform, AsiaSat 7 will support a broad range of applications for the Asia-Pacific region, including television broadcast and VSAT networks.

AsiaSat 7 will carry 28 C- and 17 Ku-band transponders as well as a Ka-band payload. Its region-wide high power C-band beam covers Asia, the Middle East, Australasia and Central Asia, with Ku-band beams serving East Asia, South Asia and a steerable Ku beam. The launch of AsiaSat 7 is well ahead of the planned date for AsiaSat 3S’s replacement, which is expected to reach its end of life in 2014.