AsiaSat 9 successfully launched from Kazakhstan

International Launch Services (ILS) successfully launched the AsiaSat 9 satellite into orbit aboard an ILS Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

AsiaSat 9, which was built by SSL (Space Systems Loral), will provide enhanced performance, higher efficiency and greater flexibility for DTH, video distribution, VSAT broadband and mobility services. It carries the world’s first dedicated Ku-band Myanmar beam, new Ku-band beams for Indonesia and Mongolia, in addition to two enhanced Ku-band beams serving Australasia and East Asia and a wider high-power C-band coverage across the Asia-Pacific region.

This was the 416th launch for Proton since its maiden flight in 1965. The Proton Breeze M vehicle is developed and built by Khrunichev Space Center of Moscow.