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Successful launch for MEASAT-3b in French Guiana
KOUROU (FRENCH GUIANA), Sept 12, 2014:
Malaysia’s newest satellite, the MEASAT-3b successfully launched from the European spaceport near here, at 7.05pm local time on Thursday (6.05am Malaysian time on Friday).
The US$350 million (RM1.12 billion) communication satellite aims to enhance Measat Satellite System Sdn Bhd’s satellite capacity.
The launch was witnessed by a group of senior Malaysian government and private sector officials, key Measat business partners and four secondary school students from Terengganu.
It is the sixth satellite launched into orbit by the company. The time difference between French Guiana and Malaysia is 11 hours.
MEASAT-3b, to be fully operational by Oct 15, is the third Measat satellite launched by Arianspace, following MEASAT-1 and MEASAT-2 in 1996.
Built by Airbus Defence and Space in Toulouse, France, it has a life span of approximately 15 years.
The satellite has 48 transponders each providing 36 megahertz (Mhz) of bandwidth, bringing the company’s Ku-band satellite capacity to 84 transponders from 36 currently.
It will expand Measat’s support of broadcasting and telecommunications satellite services in Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and South Asia.
The launching of the 5,897kg MEASAT-3b, which took just 48 minutes to reach the orbit, was broadcast live to 400 secondary school students, at the Nasional Science Centre in Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur.