SpaceX Successfully Launched The AsiaSat 6 Satellite

SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off with the AsiaSat 6 satellite.

Telecommunications company AsiaSat now has a new satellite in orbit, its second in less than two months. Its new satellite, AsiaSat 6, was successfully delivered into orbit by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that launched at 1:00am EDT from Cape Canaveral, FL. Contact with the satellite was confirmed about an hour after liftoff.

This launch was originally intended to occur on August 27. However, due to a failure of an experimental SpaceX rocket during a test flight, the launch was delayed. The experimental rocket apparently malfunctioned because of a sensor error. The company stated that the same error wasnt likely to occur in its regular Falcon 9 rocket, but wanted to triple-check its systems to be certain.

AsiaSat 6 is based on the Space Systems/Loral 1300 platform. The communications satellite is equpped with 28 C-band transponders. These will be delivering video and broadband signals to AsiaSats customers throughout the Asia-Pacific region. The anticipated life of the satellite will be about 15 years.

SpaceX has one more launch this month. On September 19, its Dragon capsule will be launched from a Falcon 9 on its way to the International Space Station.

Falcon 9 and AsiaSat 6 on their way to orbit. (Credit: SpaceX)

For more planned space launches this month, please see our September launch schedule.

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SpaceX Successfully Launched The AsiaSat 6 Satellite