Mission type Communication Mission duration 12 years (planned) Manufacturer Alcatel Alenia Space Launch mass 2,800 kg Launch date 27 May 2006 Contractor Arianespace | COSPAR ID 2006-020B Bus Spacebus 3000A Period 24 hours Launch mass 2,800 kg Rocket Ariane 5 | |
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Operator Thaicom Public Company Limited Similar AsiaSat 5, NSS‑6, Apstar‑7, Palapa‑D, MEASAT‑3 | ||
Thaicom 5 6 at 78 5 e
Thaicom 5 is a Thai geostationary communications satellite which is operated by Thaicom. It is used to provide communications services to Asia, Africa, Europe and Australia.
Contents
Thaicom 5 dish configuration
Overview
Thaicom 5 was constructed by Alcatel Alenia Space, and is based on the Spacebus 3000A satellite bus, with a configuration identical to the Thaicom 3 satellite which it replaced. It was originally ordered as Thaicom 4, but sold to Agrani as Agrani 2 before completion. It was completed in 1997, and stored until June 2005 when it was cancelled and sold back to Thaicom as Thaicom 5. It is equipped with 25 G/H band (IEEE C band) and 14 J band (IEEE Ku band) transponders, and at launch it had a mass of 2,800 kilograms (6,200 lb), with an expected operational lifespan of 12 years.
Launch
The satellite was launched on an Ariane 5ECA carrier rocket, contracted by Arianespace, flying from ELA-3 at the Guiana Space Centre. The launch occurred at 21:09 UTC on 27 May 2006, and placed Thaicom 5, along with the Mexican Satmex 6 spacecraft, into geosynchronous transfer orbit. At the time, this was the heaviest dual-satellite payload ever launched into geosynchronous transfer orbit, however this record has since been broken.
Following launch, THAICOM 5 raised itself into geostationary orbit using an S400 engine, with insertion occurring on 3 June 2006. It underwent on-orbit testing, and was positioned at a longitude of 78.5° East for operational service, where it replaced the failing Thaicom 3 satellite. On 2 October 2006, after Thaicom 5 had become operational, Thaicom 3 was moved to a graveyard orbit.