A Space Exploration Technologies or Space X's Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida last Sunday successful placed into orbit a commercial communications satellite.

Zipping through partly cloudy, night skies, the 224-foot tall rocket blasted off from its seaside launch pad at 1 a.m. EDT/(0500 GMT) where it headed towards space.

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AsiaSat 6 is owned by Hong Kong's Asia Satellite Telecommunications Holdings Ltd.

A previous satellite, AsiaSat 8, was successfully delivered into orbit some 22,000 miles above the Earth on August 5. Both satellites were built and developed by Space Systems/Loral.

AsiaSat wanted the opportunity to orbit these two satellites coincide with the opportunity to book back-to-back missions, said AsiaSat chief executive William Wade.

Wade confirmed the two launches cost AsiaSat about US$110 million.

SpaceX originally planned to launch AsiaSat 6 two weeks ago but delayed the flight to further test and check the rocket's systems. This followed an unrelated accident where the prototype Falcon 9R exploded during a test flight on August 22.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk said they are confident there is no direct link to this series of events.

The Falcon 9R, which is a modified three-engine Falcon rocket, self-destructed just shortly after lift-off from SpaceX's McGregor, Texas facility due to a blocked sensor port.

SpaceX declined to make any comment about any equipment or specific procedures that were changed as a result of the investigation.

The satellite launched on Sunday is equipped with a 28 high-power C-band transponders to be used for video streaming and distribution for broadband network services in China and Southeast Asia.

The new satellite is designed to last 15 years. It's the sixth member of AsiaSat's orbital network. Half the other satellites were launched by Russian Proton rockets.

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