Thaicom 8

THAICOM 8
Mission logo of THAICOM 8
Mission typeCommunication
OperatorThaicom PLC
COSPAR ID2016-031A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.41552
Mission duration15 years
Spacecraft properties
BusGEOStar-2
ManufacturerOrbital ATK
Launch mass3,100 Kilograms
Start of mission
Launch dateMay 27, 2016, 9:40 (2016-05-27UTC09:40Z) UTC
RocketFalcon 9 Full Thrust
Launch siteCape Canaveral SLC-40
ContractorSpaceX
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeGeostationary

THAICOM 8 (Thai: ไทยคม 8) is a Thai satellite of the THAICOM series, operated by Thaicom Public Limited Company, a subsidiary of INTOUCH, and is considered to be the 8th THAICOM satellite headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand.[1]

Overview

Manufactured by Orbital ATK, the 3,100-kilogram (6,800 lb) THAICOM 8 communications satellite will serve Thailand, India, and Africa from the 78.5° East geostationary location.[2] It is equipped with 24 active Ku-band transponders[3] for sending high-definition television signals through the satellite to residential dwellings.

Launch

THAICOM 8 was approved for launch into orbit on 18 March 2014. It was launched at the Cape Canaveral SLC-40 in Florida on 27 May 2016, by SpaceX. The first stage of the Falcon 9 used to launch THAICOM 8 successfully landed on ASDS - Of Course I Still Love You.[4][5] It was the fourth successful landing of a Falcon 9 Full Thrust.

Reuse of the Falcon 9 First Stage

The B1023 first stage was later converted into a Falcon Heavy side booster, which performed a static fire test in calendar-week 20 of 2017.[6] This first stage then continued to land again at the Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station during the Falcon Heavy maiden test flight.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ "InTouch may have to up stake in Thaicom - The Nation". The Nation. Archived from the original on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  2. ^ "Thaicom 8". Satbeams. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  3. ^ "THAICOM 8". Thaicom. Archived from the original on 10 November 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  4. ^ "SpaceX Falcon 9 recycles to Friday for Thaicom 8 launch". NASASpaceFlight.com. 26 May 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  5. ^ SpaceX Webcast
  6. ^ "SpaceX on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  7. ^ "SpaceX on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 3 March 2018.