iPSTAR In-orbit Testing Completed

iPSTAR-1 will provide direct-to-desktop, last-mile services, including new multimedia and data services to customers in Asia, India, and Australia. (Space Systems Loral Photo)

NONTHABURI, Thailand, Oct. 17, 2005/Satnews Daily/ ¾ Shin Satellite Public Co. Limited announced on Friday that the in-orbit testing of its new Thaicom 4 (iPSTAR) satellite has been successfully completed and that Space Systems Loral, the manufacturer, had performed a data review with Shin Satellite to officially hand over the satellite to the company.

Thaicom 4 (IPSTAR) was launched from the Spaceport at Kourou, French Guiana, in South America on August 11, 2005, and is touted as the largest commercial satellite ever put into orbit at 6.5 tons.

Following the successful injection of the satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit after launch, the satellite went through a series of orbit-raising stages to achieve the geosynchronous orbit of 35,786 km. In-orbit testing (IOT) commenced for all the infrastructure and payload components. Shin Satellite said the successful conclusion of the IOT represents a major milestone for the project.

Thaicom 4 is based on US-based Space Systems Loral’s LS1300-SX model and it has 94 beams. According to Shin Satellite, at full capacity, it will provide more than 45 Gigabits/sec for two-way broadband and other communications services based on the Internet Protocol to millions of people in 14 countries throughout the Asia Pacific Region. The system is designed to be inexpensive and easily available to everyone, irrespective of distance or terrestrial conditions.

The company said it will now commence the next stage of commissioning individual gateways with the satellite at 119.5 degrees East.

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