HONG KONG: AsiaSat 4, the fourth satellite of Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company (AsiaSat), has arrived in Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA aboard a chartered heavy lift cargo aircraft.

Preparation for launching AsiaSat 4 by the Atlas IIIB rocket has commenced. This new satellite is currently scheduled for an early April launch.

AsiaSat 4, a Boeing 601HP model, will be deployed at the orbital location of 122 degrees east longitude, to replace AsiaSat 1. The new satellite is designed to provide advanced satellite services such as DTH television broadcasting, VSAT networks for business, rural telephony, broadband and IP solutions.

In a press statement, Asiasat CEO Peter Jackson was quoted as saying: "AsiaSat 4 will be the largest member of AsiaSat's satellite fleet. Its unique and high performance C-band coverage will complement and provide redundancy for our two existing satellites, AsiaSat 2 and AsiaSat 3S. It will further expand our satellite capacity over the Asia Pacific region and enable our customers to enjoy unbeatable back up and greater flexibility for regional coverage."

"AsiaSat 4's high power Ku-band beams customised for Australia, East Asia and Hong Kong would be the ideal platform for delivering Direct-to-Home (DTH) and broadband solutions to these regions," Jackson adds.

Carrying 28 C-band and 20 Ku-band transponders with a 15-year design life, AsiaSat 4's pan Asian C-band footprint will cover more than 40 countries and regions from Auckland to Tehran.

The Ku-band coverage will consist of two high-power focused beams for East Asia and Australia, as well as a new BSS (Broadcast Satellite Service) Hong Kong payload for DTH services in Hong Kong and the adjacent South China region.