14 DAY TRIAL // At 12:45 AM ET, from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, SpaceX' Falcon 9 rocket launched carrying the Canadian Telstar 18 Vantage communications satellite.
As announced by Telesat global satellite operator, the Telstar 18 VANTAGE is designed to expand the company's global coverage to the Pacific Ocean region, as well as China, Mongolia, and Southeast Asia.
“Telstar 18 VANTAGE is a high throughput, highly flexible, state-of-the-art satellite that will provide a significant competitive advantage to customers serving the demanding requirements of broadcast, enterprise and government users throughout Asia ,” stated Dan Goldberg, Telesat’s President and CEO in a press release.
Telesat’s satellite was carried to orbit by SpaceX's powerful and reusable Falcon 9 rocket using a new Block 5 configuration and deployed into orbit 32 minutes after the rocket's liftoff.
Heaviest communications satellite launched into orbit
SpaceX's rocket return trip ended on the "Of Course I Still Love You" drone ship somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, after this year's 16th flight, with only the rocket’s first stage being recovered.
The liftoff was not without incidents as it was delayed because of rain and a cloud ceiling. Luckily, SpaceX did not have to use the backup launch window set for Monday, at 11:28 PM ET.
According to Mashable, the Telstar 18 VANTAGE is the most massive communications satellite ever launched at 15,564 pounds (7,060 kilograms), surpassing the previous record held by its brother, the Telstar 19V launched in July.
The Telstar 18 VANTAGE satellite is jointly operated by Hong Kong’s APT Satellite Co. and the telecommunications company Telesat from Canada, and is designed to provide an electrical output of approximately 14 kW and to stay on orbit for at least the next 15 years.