[SatNews] Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat) is reporting the company is making solid progress in the manufacturing and testing of their upcoming satellite, AsiaSat 8, which is targeted for launch in April of 2014.

With the successful completion of all the reference performance testing of the spacecraft’s payload and bus subsystems, AsiaSat 8 commenced SCTV (Spacecraft Thermal Vacuum) 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. AsiaSat 8 will be launched by the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida, USA.

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. With its Ku-band TWTAs at 210 watts, the most powerful amplifiers ever launched in Asia, AsiaSat 8 will offer the highest downlink EIRP in the region.

“We are pleased to have achieved significant progress for our AsiaSat 8 program. AsiaSat 8 will bring new Ku-band capacity to AsiaSat 3S/AsiaSat 7’s orbital location of 105.5ºE, an established AsiaSat slot for DTH, data broadcasting and telecommunications services. 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 Chief Executive Officer of AsiaSat.