AsiaSat 2
AsiaSat 2 was a Hong Kong communications satellite, which was owned, and was initially operated, by the Hong Kong based Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company. It was positioned in geostationary orbit at a longitude of 17° East of the Greenwich Meridian, on lease to Spacecom.[2] It spent most of its operational life at 100.5° East,[3] from where it was used to provide fixed satellite services, including broadcasting, audio and data transmission, to Asia and the Pacific Ocean.[4]
| Mission type | Communications |
|---|---|
| Operator | AsiaSat (1995—) Spacecom (2009—) |
| COSPAR ID | 1995-064A |
| SATCAT no. | 23723 |
| Website | AsiaSat Fleet |
| Mission duration | 13 years[1] |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | AS-7000 |
| Manufacturer | Astro Space |
| Launch mass | 3,379 kilograms (7,449 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 28 November 1995, 11:30:05 UTC |
| Rocket | Chang Zheng 2E/FG-46 |
| Launch site | Xichang LA-2 |
| Contractor | CGWIC |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Geostationary |
| Longitude | 100.5° East 17° East |
| Period | 24 hours |
| Transponders | |
| Band | 24 G/H band 9 J band |
Launch
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 3,379 kilograms (7,449 lb),[4] 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 bands respectively).[3]
The launch of AsiaSat 2 was contracted to the China Great Wall Industry Corporation, and used a Long March 2E rocket with an FG-46 upper stage.[5] It was the maiden flight of the FG-46,[5] and the first Chinese launch since the Apstar II failure, which killed a number of villagers in January 1995.[6] The launch was conducted from Launch Area 2 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre at 11:30:05 GMT on 28 November 1995.[7] 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 2 launch failure was investigated.[5]
Since the Long March 2E rocket had experienced two failures in five launches, AsiaSat 2 had to pay a 27% premium for satellite insurance instead of the usual 17–20%. Although the satellite was delivered to the correct orbit, the launch was a partial failure. Excessive acceleration during the launch caused a misalignment of the antenna feed horns on the Ku band transponders, reducing the satellite's coverage area.[8] AsiaSat filed an insurance claim for $58 million.[9]
The satellite was replaced by AsiaSat 5 in 2009,[10] and in September 2009 it was leased to Israeli 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,[2] 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.[11]
References
- "Practical Challenges of Deploying WiMAX, WiFi and VSAT Technology in the Pacific". Oceanic Broadband. Archived from the original on 2009-08-02. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
- de Selding, Peter B. (2010-01-29). "Spacecom Leases Satellite, Inks Launch Deal with SpaceX". Space News. Retrieved 2010-02-05.
- "AsiaSat 2". Satellite Fleet. AsiaSat. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
- Krebs, Gunter. "AsiaSat 2". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
- Harland, David M; Lorenz, Ralph D. (2005). Space Systems Failures (2006 ed.). Chichester: Springer-Praxis. ISBN 0-387-21519-0.
- Wade, Mark. "CZ". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
- McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Archived from the original on 2009-08-03. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
- "CZ-2E Space Launch Vehicle". GlobalSecurity.org.
- "Ku Transponder Shortfall Prompts AsiaSat Claim". Aviation Week & Space Technology. September 23, 1996.
- "AsiaSat 5". Satellite Fleet. AsiaSat. Archived from the original on 2013-10-23. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
- Zeno, Lior (9 August 2010). "Israeli satellite Amos 5i about to run out of fuel". Haaretz Daily Newspaper. Archived from the original on 11 August 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2010.