25126 - HGS-1 (ASIASAT 3)

Asiasat 3 was a communications satellite launched by Hong Kong, People's Republic of China. It was to be used primarily for television distribution and telecommunications services throughout Asia, the Middle East, and Australasia, with multiple spot beams for selected areas.

The satellite was to be placed into a geosynchronous orbit, but a malfunction in the fourth (DM 3) stage resulted in a short life and a dysfunctional orbit. Later investigation revealed that the DM 3 may have been designed only for a maximum payload of 2.4 metric tonnes and had previously mislaunched two earlier payloads which exceeded this limit (as did Asiasat 3).

Following its failure to achieve the proper orbit, the manufacturer (Hughes Global Services) purchased the spacecraft back from the insurers and renamed it HGS 1. HGS 1 was then successfully maneuvered into two successive flybys of the Moon to place it into geosynchronous orbit, the first time such a maneuver was performed by a commercial satellite.

In early 1999, the satellite was acquired by PanAmSat, renamed PAS 22, and moved to a new location.

Alternate Names

HGS 1
PAS 22

Facts in Brief

Launch Date: 1997-12-24
Launch Vehicle: Proton-K
Launch Site: Tyuratam (Baikonur Cosmodrome), Kazakhstan
Mass: 2534.0 kg