AsiaSat 2
Encyclopedia
AsiaSat 2 is a Chinese
communications satellite
, which is owned, and was initially operated, by the Hong Kong
based Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company
. It is currently positioned in geostationary orbit
at a longitude of 17° East of the Greenwich Meridian, on lease to Spacecom
. It spent most of its operational life at 100.5° East, from where it was used to provide fixed satellite services, including broadcasting, audio and data transmission, to Asia
and the Pacific Ocean
.
The launch of AsiaSat 2 was contracted by the China Great Wall Industry Corporation, and used a Long March 2E
rocket with an FG-46 upper stage. It was the maiden flight of the FG-46, and the first Chinese launch since the Apstar 2 failure, which killed a number of villagers in January 1995. The launch was conducted from Launch Area 2 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre at 11:30:05 GMT on 28 November 1995. The launch had previously been delayed twice; first from December 1994 due to the failure of Telstar 402, which was based on the same satellite bus
as AsiaSat 2, and subsequently whilst the Apstar launch failure was investigated.
AsiaSat 2 was built by Astro Space, which by the time of its launch had become part of Lockheed Martin
. It is based on the AS-7000 satellite bus. At launch, it had a mass of 3379 kilograms (7,449.4 lb), and a design life of thirteen years. It carries twenty four G
/H band
and nine J band
transponders (NATO frequency designation system, US IEEE C
and Ku band
s respectively). It was replaced by AsiaSat 5
in 2009, and in September 2009 it was leased to Israel
i operator Spacecom
. It was subsequently moved to a longitude of 17° East, and in January 2010 it began operations for Spacecom, who refer to it as Amos 5i. Spacecom intended to operate it until Amos 5 was launched in 2011, however during a stationkeeping manoeuvre in August 2010 they discovered that it was carrying less fuel than they had expected, meaning that it would have to be retired before the launch of its replacement.
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
communications satellite
Communications satellite
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purpose of telecommunications...
, which is owned, and was initially operated, by the Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
based Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company
AsiaSat
Asia Satellite Telecommunications Co. Ltd. is a commercial operator of communication spacecraft. AsiaSat is based in Hong Kong with two major shareholders, CITIC and General Electric.-Satellites:...
. It is currently positioned in geostationary orbit
Geostationary orbit
A geostationary orbit is a geosynchronous orbit directly above the Earth's equator , with a period equal to the Earth's rotational period and an orbital eccentricity of approximately zero. An object in a geostationary orbit appears motionless, at a fixed position in the sky, to ground observers...
at a longitude of 17° East of the Greenwich Meridian, on lease to Spacecom
Spacecom
Spacecom, or Space Communication , is a communications satellite operator in the Middle East, European Union and North-America headquartered in the city of Ramat Gan, Israel...
. It spent most of its operational life at 100.5° East, from where it was used to provide fixed satellite services, including broadcasting, audio and data transmission, to Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
.
The launch of AsiaSat 2 was contracted by the China Great Wall Industry Corporation, and used a Long March 2E
Long March 2E
The Long March 2E, also known as the Chang Zheng 2E, CZ-2E and LM-2E, was a Chinese orbital carrier rocket. Designed to launch commercial communications satellites, the Long March 2E was retired in favour of the Long March 3B, after two launch failures. Launched from complex 2 at the Xichang...
rocket with an FG-46 upper stage. It was the maiden flight of the FG-46, and the first Chinese launch since the Apstar 2 failure, which killed a number of villagers in January 1995. The launch was conducted from Launch Area 2 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre at 11:30:05 GMT on 28 November 1995. The launch had previously been delayed twice; first from December 1994 due to the failure of Telstar 402, which was based on the same satellite bus
Satellite bus
A satellite bus or spacecraft bus is the general model on which multiple-production satellite spacecraft are often based. The bus is the infrastructure of a spacecraft, usually providing locations for the payload .They are most commonly used for geosynchronous satellites, particularly...
as AsiaSat 2, and subsequently whilst the Apstar launch failure was investigated.
AsiaSat 2 was built by Astro Space, which by the time of its launch had become part of Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
. It is based on the AS-7000 satellite bus. At launch, it had a mass of 3379 kilograms (7,449.4 lb), and a design life of thirteen years. It carries twenty four G
G band
-NATO G band:The G band in the modern sense is the range of radio frequencies from 4 GHz to 6 GHz in the electromagnetic spectrum. This is equal to wave lengths between 7.5 cm and 5 cm...
/H band
H band
H band can refer to two different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, in the radio and near-infrared.-Radio:The H band is the range of radio frequencies from 6 GHz to 8 GHz in the electromagnetic spectrum. This is equal to wave lengths between 5 cm and 3.75 cm...
and nine J band
J band
J band can refer to two different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, in the radio and near-infrared.-Radio:The J band is the range of radio frequencies from 10 GHz to 20 GHz in the electromagnetic spectrum. This is equal to wave lengths between...
transponders (NATO frequency designation system, US IEEE C
C band
The C band is a name given to certain portions of the electromagnetic spectrum, including wavelengths of microwaves that are used for long-distance radio telecommunications. The IEEE C-band - and its slight variations - contains frequency ranges that are used for many satellite communications...
and Ku band
Ku band
The Kμ band is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies. This symbol refers to —in other words, the band directly below the K-band...
s respectively). It was replaced by AsiaSat 5
AsiaSat 5
AsiaSat 5 is a Chinese communications satellite, which will be operated by the Hong Kong based Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company. It will be positioned in geostationary orbit at a longitude of 100.5° East of the Greenwich Meridian, where it will replace the older AsiaSat 2 spacecraft...
in 2009, and in September 2009 it was leased to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i operator Spacecom
Spacecom
Spacecom, or Space Communication , is a communications satellite operator in the Middle East, European Union and North-America headquartered in the city of Ramat Gan, Israel...
. It was subsequently moved to a longitude of 17° East, and in January 2010 it began operations for Spacecom, who refer to it as Amos 5i. Spacecom intended to operate it until Amos 5 was launched in 2011, however during a stationkeeping manoeuvre in August 2010 they discovered that it was carrying less fuel than they had expected, meaning that it would have to be retired before the launch of its replacement.