Bermuda-based corporation Protostar has launched a satellite it hopes will expand its footprint in the Asian telecommunications business.

A statement released by the company yesterday said the Protostar I satellite was launched on Monday afternoon from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

It deployed its solar arrays on Monday evening and was scheduled to begin thruster firings late yesterday.

ProtoStar, which has subsidiary operations in San Francisco and Singapore, was formed to acquire and operate high-power geostationary satellites optimised for satellite television in the Asia-Pacific region.

The launch was carried out by California-based Space Systems/Loral (SS/L), a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications.

"Every time a satellite built at Space Systems/Loral is launched, we share a tremendous excitement with the operator," said John Celli, president and chief operating officer of Space Systems/Loral. "Satellite communications continue to play an essential role around the world and more bits are transported over SS/L-built satellites than over satellites from any other manufacturer."

Orbit raising operations are being conducted from SS/L's Mission Control Centre in Palo Alto. Following final placement into its orbital slot the satellite will undergo routine in-orbit testing, and will begin providing service to ProtoStar's anchor customer, Dish TV India Ltd., the largest direct-to-home television operator in India.

The satellite's tracking, telemetry, and command will be managed by Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. (SingTel), which is also a C-band customer on the satellite.