The International Satellite Company, has, with funding from its parent company – the regional satellite operator Thaicom, made a formal construction order for a new communications satellite to the China Great Wall Industry Corp (CGWIC), the one-time Chinese commercial launch provider and now manager of “turnkey” satellite construction and delivery contracts.
The Ka-band satellite being built and which has been dubbed ISC-1 has a construction contract value of US$208 million. The satellite has a 15 year minimum design life and will be launched using a Long March launch vehicle, at the end of 2019. It is believed that the Chinese Academy of Space Technology CAST has been subcontracted to provide the satellite bus using its DFH-4 design. The reported satellite’s communications capacity of 37 GHz (equivalent to 53 Gbps) has already reported to have been leased to an unannounced customer to provide broadband and mobile communications over most of South East Asia.
ISC has already agreed to lease out the entire capacity of its new satellite to a major customer. Once completed around the end of 2019, the satellite is expected to provide broadband and mobility services in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand over its 15-year lifetime.
