[SatNews] MEASAT Global Berhad (“MEASAT”) has just announced that the MEASAT-3b launch, earlier scheduled for June 6, GFT (7 June Kuala Lumpur time), has been postponed once again.

The postponement was called after the manufacturer of the MEASAT-3b co-passenger requested time for repairs to their satellite. The request for the delay was requested by Optus Networks Pty. Ltd. whose OPTUS 10 satellite requires some additional verifications.

“We are clearly disappointed with the delay and are currently in co-ordination with Arianespace (the launch service provider) on the rescheduling of the launch” said Paul Brown-Kenyon, Chief Executive Officer, MEASAT Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd. “We will provide an update when we receive further information on the revised launch date,” he continued

MEASAT-3b is designed to provide an additional 48 high powered Ku-band transponders to the 91.5 degreesEast orbital slot to expand DTH and VSAT services across Malaysia, India, Indonesia and Australia. Co-located with MEASAT-3 and MEASAT-3a, the satellite will more than double MEASAT’s Ku-band capacity at this slot, creating one of the region’s most powerful and robust orbital locations.

Updates on the MEASAT-3b launch can be found at http://www.measat.com/3b