| 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 UTC |
| Rocket | Long March 3 |
| Launch site | Xichang, LA-3 |
| Contractor | 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 Hong Kong communications satellite, which was owned, and was operated, by the Hong Kong based Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company. It was originally launched in February 1984 as Westar 6, but following a booster motor failure it was retrieved and returned to Earth in November of that year by Space Shuttle mission STS-51-A. After being sold to AsiaSat and refurbished, it was relaunched in April 1990, and positioned in geostationary orbit at a longitude of 100.5° East. It spent its operational life at 100.5° East,[1] from where it was used to provide fixed satellite services, including broadcasting, audio and data transmission, to Asia and the Pacific Ocean.[2]
- ^ "AsiaSat". AsiaSat. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
- ^ "AsiaSat 1". Gunter's Space Page. 21 July 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2021.