Paksat-MM1R

The Paksat-MM1 is a Pakistani communication satellite, which was launched on 30 May 2024.^[1][2] This mission was a joint effort of the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) and the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.^[3] The satellite was launched from China's Xichang Satellite Launch Centre.^[4] On 18 September 2024, Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja announced that the satellite had successfully completed testing and is now operational.^[5]

Before launch, the satellite was designated PakSAT-MM 1R, but at launch it was referred to as PakSAT-MM 1.

The satellite was launched on LM-3B launch vehicle, which was the 96th launch of the LM-3B launch vehicle and the 524th launch of the Long March family.^[6]

The satellite was developed by China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), a subsidiary of CASC. It is based on the DFH-4E satellite platform with a liftoff mass of 5,400 kg, and equipped with 9 antennas and 48 transponders in C, Ku, Ka, and L bands. It can provide various services such as broadcasting, regional enhanced communications, high-throughput broadband and the Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) services etc. The satellite will be positioned at 38.2° E orbit slot, covering the mainland and surrounding areas of Pakistan, parts of the Indian Ocean, the Middle East, East Africa, and parts of Europe, with a service life of 15 years.^[7]

Total deliverable capacity of Ka-Band is 10 Gbps covering whole Pakistan, there is no steerable beam in Ka-HTS payload. Maximum throughput achievable on a single beam is approx. 1 Gbps. User beams are fixed and cannot be steered over any particular area. For PakSat-MM1 HTS, three Gateway beams have been designed over Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad with gateway beam of 0.08°. It is recommended to install two gateways (one primary and other as back up). However, PakSat-MM1 HTS has been designed in such a way that one GW can handle all the traffic of 11 user beams.^[8]