Satellite operator SingTel and Taiwan’s Chunghwa Telecom Company Limited (Chunghwa) ordered the ST-1 communications satellite with EADS Astrium (Airbus Defense & Space). SingTel and Chunghwa jointly own the ST-1 and use this satellite in their various communications businesses.

The ST-1 satellite, Singapore’s first owned satellite, provides telecommunications and direct-to-home broadcast services to most of Asia, up to 16 high-power Ku-band transponders over India, South-East Asia and Taiwan, and 14 C-band transponders for coverage from western India and Pakistan to Borneo, the Philippines and South-Eastern China.

The ST-1 satellite was launched on August 25th, 1998 on an Ariane 4 rocket operated by Arianespace launch operator from their Space Port in Kourou, French Guiana.

The two ground control stations are located in Seletar (Singapore) and Taipei (Taiwan).

ST-1 carries sixteen high-power Ku-band transponders and fourteen medium-power C-band transponders. Weighing over 3,000 kg at launch, ST-1 generates more than 6,500 Watts of electrical power. The satellite’s broad C-band coverage beam extends from the Middle-East to Japan, including all of South-East Asia.

ST-1 also featured two Ku-band spot beams: a “K1” beam that stretches from Taiwan to Singapore and from Indonesia to Malaysia and a “K2” beam centred over the Indian subcontinent. The ST-1 satellite delivered telephony, digital DTH broadcasting, VSAT and other business services throughout the region.

In 2011 ST-1 satellite became EOL and SingTel moved the satellite to an orbital graveyard. ST-2 replaced it.