AsiaSat 1
| Names | Westar 6 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Communications |
| Operator | AsiaSat |
| COSPAR ID | 1990-030A |
| SATCAT no. | 20558 |
| Website | https://www.asiasat.com |
| Mission duration | 9 years (planned) 12.5 years (achieved) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | AsiaSat-1 |
| Bus | HS-376 |
| Manufacturer | Hughes Space and Communications |
| Launch mass | 1,244 kg (2,743 lb) |
| Dry mass | 620 kg (1,370 lb) |
| Dimensions | 2.16 m (7 ft 1 in) diameter 6.6 m (22 ft) height stowed: 2.84 m (9 ft 4 in) |
| Power | 850 watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 7 April 1990, 13:30:02 CGWIC |
| Entered service | June 1990 |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Graveyard orbit |
| Deactivated | January 2003 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Geostationary orbit |
| Longitude | 100.5° East (1990–1999) 122° East (1999–2003) |
| Transponders | |
| Band | 24 C-band |
| Bandwidth | 36 MHz |
| Coverage area | Asia, Pacific Ocean |
AsiaSat 1 was a
Westar 6
As Westar 6, the satellite was built by Hughes Space and Communications. It was based on the HS-376 satellite bus. At launch it had a mass of 1,244 kg (2,743 lb),[2] and a design life of thirteen years. It carried twenty four C-band transponders.[1] After launch from the Space Shuttle as part of mission STS-41-B its PAM-D booster rocket misfired, and the satellite was stranded in a useless low orbit. It was retrieved by shuttle astronauts in November 1984, and Hughes was contracted to refurbish it. Westar 6 was eventually sold, for US$58 million, to the AsiaSat consortium and renamed AsiaSat 1.[2]
Re-Launch
The launch of AsiaSat 1 was contracted to the
Mission
Asiasat 1 was replaced by AsiaSat 3S in May 1999. It remains in a graveyard orbit.
See also
- Palapa B2, a communications satellite that was also retrieved and relaunched by the Space Shuttle
References
- ^ a b "AsiaSat". AsiaSat. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
- ^ a b c "AsiaSat 1". Gunter's Space Page. 21 July 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
- ^ "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. 14 March 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.