MUMBAI: The MBSat broadcast communications satellite, built by Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) for Mobile Broadcasting Corporation (MBCO) of Japan and SK Telecom of Korea, was launched on Saturday.

The satellite was sent into space on an International Launch Services (ILS) Atlas III rocket from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The MBSat satellite will be positioned at 144 degrees East longitude, where it will deliver music, video and data to mobile users in Japan and Korea through a variety of mobile terminals, including those in cars, ships, trains, hand held terminals, personal digital assistants, cellular phones and home portables. A very small antenna will be sufficient to receive these broadcast signals even inside buildings and in vehicles moving at high speeds.

An official release informs that the satellite carries two high power transponders for direct broadcasting services, with one transponder providing coverage for Japan and the other for Korea. Two additional transponders provide links to terrestrial repeater networks, which augment the satellite broadcast signal. Each transponder has an operating bandwidth of 25 MHz. This allows for more than 50 channels of audio, video and data services.

The release adds that the MBSat satellite will host one of the most cutting edge applications driving the satellite industry beyond basic broadcasting. SS/L stated that it built a reliable, powerful and flexible spacecraft that will provide numerous multimedia applications in Japan and Korea for years to come.