SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches Heavy Communications Satellite for Asia-Pacific Region
SpaceX launches a massive jointly-owned communications satellite into orbit using a flight-proven Falcon 9 booster to deliver broadband services across Asia and the Pacific.
Spacex's Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral to deliver the JCSAT 18/Kacific 1 communications satellite into orbit. The 229-foot-tall rocket carries one of the heaviest spacecraft ever launched by the company, weighing over 15,000 pounds. A flight-proven first stage booster powers the mission after flying on two previous space station resupply missions earlier in the year.
The satellite, manufactured by Boeing and jointly owned by Sky Perfect JSAT and Kacific Broadband Satellites, deploys into an elliptical transfer orbit approximately 33 minutes after liftoff. It then uses its onboard engine to climb into a circular geostationary orbit more than 22,000 miles above the equator. The spacecraft takes up a fixed position at 150 degrees east longitude for a planned 15-year operational mission.
Once operational, the satellite splits its capacity to serve different markets across the Eastern Hemisphere. Sky Perfect JSAT utilizes the Ku-band payload to support mobile and broadband services over Japan, the Asia-Pacific region, and far eastern Russia. Meanwhile, Kacific's Ka-band payload provides critical internet connectivity to under-served populations scattered across Southeast Asia and the Pacific islands.