Paksat-MM1
Paksat-MM1 was a leased communications satellite operated by SUPARCO, Pakistan's national space agency. The satellite was provided by Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company, a Hong Kong-based satellite operator.
Initially stationed at 122° East longitude, Paksat-MM1 was later relocated to 38.2° East to better serve Pakistan and the surrounding region. During most of its operational life at 122° East, it provided fixed satellite services, including broadcasting, audio, and data transmission, to Asia and the Pacific Ocean region.
Satellite description
AsiaSat 4 was built by Hughes Space and Communications, for US$220 million, which by the time of its launch had become part of Boeing Satellite Systems. It is based on the HS-601HP satellite bus. At launch, it had a mass of, and a design life of fifteen years. It carries twenty eight C-band and twenty Ku-band transponders. It was planned for late 1999, but was delayed because of the Asian crisis. Construction started in September 2000.Launch
AsiaSat 4 was launched by an Atlas 3B SEC launch vehicle with the Centaur upper stage from Cape Canaveral [Space Force Station|Cape Canaveral Air Force Station] at 00:47:01 UTC on 12 April 2003.AsiaSat 4 was insured for launch and first year in orbit. The AsiaSat 4 was replaced by AsiaSat 9 in 2017.
Life as Paksat-MM1
In February 2018 it was leased by PakSat International, a subsidiary of SUPARCO, from the Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company . Previously positioned at 122° East longitude, it was relocated to 38.2° East to serve Pakistan's needs. Paksat renamed it Paksat-MM1 and began operations in March 2018.After the lease expired, the satellite was returned to China and relocated to 147.5° East. As of 29 August 2024, it is no longer operational and has been replaced by PakSat-MM1R, a new satellite launched on 30 May 2024.