ABS 8 [Boeing]
Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS) announced in May 2015, that it is about to contract the construction of ABS 8 comsat to Boeing Satellite Systems. The ABS 8 satellite will be placed in the orbital position 116.1° East, to provide C-, Ku- and Ka-band transponders.
The satellite will be constructed on the BSS-702SP bus - a version that features an all-electric propulsion system. ABS-8 is a tri-band satellite with C-, Ku- and Ka-band capacity, part of it devoted to a high-throughput mission with multiple spot beams that, depending on market conditions then, could be transformed into a more-classic widebeam satellite given the flexibility of the payload.
ABS-8 will replace ABS-7 at the 116.1° East orbital location.
SpaceX had been selected as the launch provider for a launch in late 2017 or early 2018 on a Falcon-9 v1.2 rocket. The launch may be shared with another BSS-702SP type electric propulsion satellite, if one is available.
The contract was terminated in July 2015, due to the U.S. Export-Import Bank’s loss of its operating charter due to congressional opposition. Both contract partner tried to renegotiate the satellite contract, but apparently without success.
Nation: | China |
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Type / Application: | Communication |
Operator: | Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS) |
Contractors: | Boeing Satellite Systems |
Equipment: | C-, Ku- and Ka-band transponders |
Configuration: | BSS-702SP |
Propulsion: | 4 × XIPS-25 |
Power: | 2 deployable solar arrays, batteries |
Lifetime: | 15 years |
Mass: | |
Orbit: | GEO |
Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ABS 8 | - | cancelled | ? | Falcon-9 v1.2 (Block 5) | with ? |