At 0445 GMT on 10 September 2018, a SpaceX-operated Falcon 9v1.2FT Block 5 rocket took off from the Cape Canaveral launch site. Aboard was the 7,070 kg heavyweight communications satellite Telstar 18 Vantage/APSTAR 5C spacecraft which was successfully injected into its planned sub-sub-synchronous transfer orbit. From there the spacecraft’s own electric thrusters will raise its apogee and perigee to GEO. The launch was delayed from the original launch time of 0328 GMT to allow thunderstorms to move away.
Subsequent to the launch, the Falcon 9 first stage (B1049), which had not flown before, successfully landed on the drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You” at 0454 GMT. There was no attempt to recover the payload fairings.
Still from footage of Telstar 18 Vantage launch by Falcon 9. Courtesy: SpaceX
The Hong Kong-based APT Satellite Holdings is paying Telesat US$118.83 million for a 57.47 percent share equivalent to 36.2 transponders with total value being US$206.8 million including launch and insurance costs. For technical reasons the legal owner of the satellite is a wholly owned Telesat subsidiary, Telesat international Ltd., London.
