Thaicom 6

Spacecraft nr:

Thailands spacecraft nr: 8

Launch data: Designation  14002A Launch date  06 Jan 2014 - 22:06 UT Launch site  CC, SLC-40 Launch vehicle  Falcon 9 (v1.1) Mission  Communication Geostationary orbit: Perigee / Apogee   km Eccentricity   Inclination   deg Period   min

Spacecraft data: Prime manufacturer  Orbital Sciences Corporation in Dulles, Virginia Platform  GeoStar-2.3 Bus Operator  Thaicom Public Limited Company (PLC) Mass at launch  3016 kg Dry Mass   kg Basic shape   Dimension (m)   Equipment  16 C-band and 8 Ku-band satellite Solar array  2 deployable solar arrays Stabilization   Propulsion  IHI BT-4 DC power   Design lifetime  15 yrs

Technicians work on the Thaicom-6 telecommunications satellite at Orbital Science Corporation’s Dulles, Virginia facility. Photo Credit: Orbital Sciences Corporation

Location:

Description:

• A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Thaicom 6 communications satellite. Thaicom 6 will provide C-band and Ku-band communications services across Southeast Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The rocket will fly in the Falcon 9 v1.1 configuration with upgraded Merlin 1D engines, stretched fuel tanks, and a payload fairing.
• Once launched the satellite will be placed in a GTO and will be operated at 78.5 degrees East Longitude. Thaicom-6 is equipped with 18 C-band and 8 Ku-band transponders to provide service coverage to the growing satellite television market in Southeast Asia, South Asia and Southern Africa (including Madagascar).

Mission details:

• Delayed from Aug 2013.
• SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket on its second successful geostationary transfer orbit insertion mission on Jan 6, 2014. The initial burn of the Falcon 9 second stage reached a 197 x 497 km parking orbit, and a second burn at 2233 UTC sent the Thaicom 6 payload to a 375 x 90039 km x 22.5 deg supersync transfer orbit. By Feb 3 the satellite had manuevered to a 35784 x 35789 km x 0.1 deg geostationary orbit over 78.4 deg East. The Falcon 9 second stage remains in a 348 x 89584 km x 22.0 deg orbit.