Malaysian Comsat MEASAT-3 Outlasts Design Life as Orbit Shifts
MEASAT-3 is a Malaysian geostationary communications satellite launched on Dec. 11, 2006, aboard a Proton-M/Briz-M and now nearly 20 years into a 15-year design life. It carries 24 C-band and 24 Ku-band transponders serving Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Africa. Its inclination has climbed to 4.97 degrees, suggesting diminishing station-keeping fuel, although east-west control appears active and its semi-major axis has stayed stable.
MEASAT-3 lifted off from Baikonur on 11 December 2006 atop a Proton-M/Briz-M. The Boeing HS-601HP spacecraft weighed 4,765 kg at launch and operates from 91.5° East with 24 C-band and 24 Ku-band transponders.
Its 15-year design life ended around December 2021, yet it remains in service. Orbital tracking shows east-west control still working and a stable semi-major axis, while inclination has reached 4.97° and eccentricity has grown.
Broadcasters, telecom providers, VSAT and broadband users across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa may be affected as MEASAT-3 ages. If capacity is retired or shifted, some services could need migration to other satellites or ground infrastructure. Tracking antennas may face higher operational demands due to inclination drift. The satellite's extended service may have delayed replacement planning, but reduced station-keeping could eventually prompt capacity changes.