AsiaSat

Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat) is a Hong Kong–based commercial operator of communications satellites founded in 1988. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Asia Satellite Telecommunications Holdings Limited (AsiaSat Holdings), which is incorporated in Bermuda.

Asia Satellite Telecommunications Holdings

Company type	Private
Industry	Communications satellite
Founded	1988[1]
Headquarters	Hong Kong (de facto) Bermuda (registered office)
Brands	AsiaSat
Revenue	HK$1.354 billion [2]: 62  (2017)
Operating income	HK$642 million [2]: 62  (2017)
Net income	HK$397 million [2]: 62  (2017)
Total assets	HK$7.401 billion [2]: 63  (2017)
Total equity	HK$3.353 billion [2]: 63  (2017)
Owner	CITIC – Carlyle consortium (74.43%)
Parent	Bowenvale
Website	https://www.asiasat.com/
Footnotes / references in consolidated financial statement[2]

AsiaSat Holdings is jointly owned by Chinese state-owned CITIC Limited and private equity fund The Carlyle Group L.P. indirectly. It had a market capitalisation of HK$2 billion on 30 November 2018.^[3] It was a red chip company of the stock exchange.^[3] On 23 August 2019, the take private proposal scheme was approved by AsiaSat Holdings' public shareholders, followed by the approval of the Bermuda Court on 3 September 2019, whereupon The company became a private wholly owned subsidiary of Bowenvale Limited, a joint venture of CITIC and Carlyle. The listing of the company's shares was withdrawn from the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong on 5 September 2019.^[4]

History

In September 2017, AsiaSat 9, AsiaSat's latest satellite built by Space Systems/Loral^[5] was successfully launched and replaced AsiaSat 4 at 122° East.

AsiaSat owns and operates seven satellites, including AsiaSat 3S, AsiaSat 4, AsiaSat 5, AsiaSat 6, AsiaSat 7, AsiaSat 8 and the new AsiaSat 9.

Shareholders

As of 31 December 2017^[update], the direct parent company, Bowenvale Limited, owned 74.43% shares; Bowenvale was jointly owned by CITIC Limited and The Carlyle Group LP in a 50–50 ratio.^[2]: 54 Standard Life Aberdeen plc was the second largest shareholder for 5.36%.^[2]: 54 In May 2018, the ratio owned by Standard Life Aberdeen had decreased to 4.99%.^[6] In November 2018, another private equity firm International Value Advisers owned 6.12% shares of AsiaSat.^[7]

On 3 September 2019, following the approval of the privatisation plan by public shareholders, Asia Satellite Telecommunications Holdings Limited became a privately wholly owned subsidiary of Bowenvale Limited, which is now jointly owned by CITIC Group Corporation and Carlyle Asia Partners IV, L.P.^[4]

Launch history and future plans

This is a list of satellites owned and operated by AsiaSat.

AsiaSat satellites

Satellite	Launch Date (UTC)	Rocket	Launch Site	Contractor	Longitude	Status	Notes	Ref.
AsiaSat 1	7 Apr 1990	Long March 3	Xichang, LC-3	CASC		Decommissioned	Launched as Westar 6 on Space Shuttle mission STS-41B, became stranded in orbit, was retrieved by Space Shuttle mission STS-51A in November 1984, sold to AsiaSat.
AsiaSat 2	28 Nov 1995	Long March 2E	Xichang, LC-2	CASC	100.5° East	Decommissioned
AsiaSat 3	24 Dec 1997	Proton-K / DM-2M	Baikonur, Site 81/23	ILS	105.5° East (intended) 158° West (1998–1999) 62° West (1999–2002)	Decommissioned	Transferred to Hughes Global Services (HGS)
AsiaSat 3S	21 Mar 1999	Proton-K / DM-2M	Baikonur, Site 81/23	ILS	147.5° East	Decommissioned	Replaced AsiaSat 1 on 8 May 1999 and was replaced by AsiaSat 7	[8]
AsiaSat 4	12 Apr 2003	Atlas IIIB	Cape Canaveral, LC-36B	ILS	Relocated to a designated orbital position in November 2017	In Service		[9]
AsiaSat 5	11 Aug 2009	Proton-M / Briz-M	Baikonur, Site 200/39	Khrunichev	100.5° East	In Service	A replacement satellite for AsiaSat 2	[10]
AsiaSat 6 / Thaicom 7	7 Sep 2014	Falcon 9 v1.1	Cape Canaveral, SLC-40	SpaceX	120° East	In Service		[11]
AsiaSat 7	25 Nov 2011	Proton-M / Briz-M	Baikonur, Site 200/39	Khrunichev	105.5° East	In Service	Replaced AsiaSat 3S at the orbital location of 105.5° East.	[12]
AsiaSat 8	5 Aug 2014	Falcon 9 v1.1	Cape Canaveral, SLC-40	SpaceX	105.5° East	In Service	AsiaSat satellite with multiple Ku beams.	[13]
AsiaSat 9	28 Sep 2017	Proton-M / Briz-M	Baikonur, Site 200/39	Khrunichev	122° East	In Service	Replaced AsiaSat 4 at 122° East.	[14]

See also

• Spaceflight portal

• APT Satellite Holdings, fellow satellite communication company based in Hong Kong