Nascent launch provider SpaceX has been picked by Hong Kong-based satellite operator AsiaSat for the launch of AsiaSat 6 and AsiaSat 8 on a Falcon 9 rocket.
Scheduled to be both placed into orbit in the first half of 2014, AsiaSat 6will have 28…
Nascent launch provider SpaceX has been picked by Hong Kong-based satellite operator AsiaSat for the launch of AsiaSat 6 and AsiaSat 8 on a Falcon 9 rocket.
Scheduled to be both placed into orbit in the first half of 2014, AsiaSat 6will have 28 C-band transponders while AsiaSat 8 will carry 24 Ku-band transponders and a Ka-band beam. They will serve Asia, the Middle East, and Australasia.
The aggregate price for the two launches is US$104.44m, US$52.22m each, which is about half what AsiaSat paid in 2010 for the launch of a previous satellite.
In October 2010, it was revealed that International Launch Services (ILS) would place AsiaSat 7 into orbit at a cost of US$101m. The satellite was launched in November 2011.
In an email to SatelliteFinance, an AsiaSat spokesperson commented on the decision to select SpaceX for its next birds, saying: “Attractive pricing is one of the factors we took into consideration. Performance and schedule are also very important to us.”
Last April, another satellite operator, SES, had already announced an agreement with SpaceX to loft SES-8 in early 2013, in an effort to supplement the group’s traditional launch agreements with providers Arianespace and ILS.
It also marked the first time a Falcon 9 rocket would be used to place a geostationary satellite.
SES and SpaceX declined to comment on financial details at the time, but the latter’s website quoted US$56m for a GTO (geosynchronous transfer orbit) launch.
However, one source argued that it is likely that SES would have achieved a cheaper price given the satellite operator’s reputation as a diligent customer and the commercial legitimacy that the contract will give to its Falcon 9 rocket.
The total construction price for AsiaSat 6 and AsiaSat 8, both built by Space Systems/Loral, is US$233m. AsiaSat6 will cost US$114.5m while the price for AsiaSat8 is US$118.5m.
AsiaSat 6 is also known as Thaicom 7 after Thai satellite operator Thaicom signed an agreement in December last year with AsiaSat for the provision of services from a shared satellite.
The companies explained that an interim satellite will be placed at 120E no later than 12 January 2012 before being replaced by AsiaSat 6/Thaicom 7 in early 2014.
In a notice to the Thailand Stock Exchange, Thaicom said, at the time, that the total investment value of the agreement is approximately US$171m. “This amount includes the satellite, its launcher and insurance, ground system and project administrative cost.
This partnership between AsiaSat and Thaicom allows Thailand to maintain its rights on 120E, which are due to expire in October 2012.
