The Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) launch provider had another successful launch of a commercial communications satellite as its Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket successfully put the Asiasat 8 communications satellite into orbit.
After a launch abort two and a half hours earlier due to an anomalous vehicle reading, the launch eventually took place at 0800 GMT on 5 August 2014 from the Cape Canaveral launch site in Florida, USA. After launching initially to a parking orbit, the second stage reignited to launch its Asiasat 8 satellite payload into an elongated Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), at the apogee of which, the separated spacecraft itself will fire its own apogee kick motor to circularise its orbit into a geostationary position.
