# PAS-22

> communications satellite

**Wikidata**: [Q338250](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q338250)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PAS-22)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/pas-22

## Summary
PAS-22 is a communications satellite (instance of the HGS series) launched on 24 December 1997. It is also known as AsiaSat 3 and HGS-1, was launched by a Proton-K rocket with a Blok DM-2M upper stage from Baikonur Cosmodrome, and has been operated by AsiaSat (with Hughes Aircraft Company recorded as an operator in 1998).

## Key Facts
- PAS-22 is a communications satellite and is an instance of the HGS series of communications satellites.
- Launch date: 1997-12-24 (24 December 1997).
- Launch vehicle: Proton-K rocket.
- Space tug / upper stage used: Blok DM-2M.
- Launch site: Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 81/23 (also recorded as Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 81).
- COSPAR ID: 1997-086A.
- Satellite catalog number (scn): 25126.
- Common aliases: AsiaSat 3; HGS-1; アジアサット3; 亚洲3号; 亚洲3S卫星; 亚洲3S; 亞洲三號衛星.
- Operators: AsiaSat; Hughes Aircraft Company (listed with a point-in-time of 1998).
- Image and media reference: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Asiasat-3.gif.
- Freebase identifier: /m/065ztw.

## FAQs
### Q: What is PAS-22?
A: PAS-22 is a communications satellite in the HGS series. It is also known by the names AsiaSat 3 and HGS-1.

### Q: When and how was PAS-22 launched?
A: PAS-22 was launched on 24 December 1997 by a Proton-K launch vehicle, using a Blok DM-2M upper stage, from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 81/23.

### Q: Who operates PAS-22?
A: PAS-22 is associated with AsiaSat as an operator. Hughes Aircraft Company is also recorded as an operator with a point-in-time noted in 1998.

## Why It Matters
PAS-22 is part of the HGS family of communications satellites, and as such it is a commercial communications platform that formed part of the global satellite communications infrastructure of the late 1990s. Satellites in this category enable transmission of television, data, and other communications services across wide regions by providing geostationary relay capacity. PAS-22’s launch on 24 December 1997, aboard a Proton-K with a Blok DM-2M upper stage from Baikonur, places it among the fleet of satellites deployed during a period of rapid commercial satellite expansion. Its dual association with AsiaSat and Hughes Aircraft Company reflects the collaboration between satellite operators and manufacturers/operators common in the industry. Identifiers such as COSPAR ID 1997-086A and satellite catalog number 25126 ensure the satellite is tracked and referenced consistently in space object registries and technical records. For researchers, operators, and historians, PAS-22 is a documented example of late-1990s commercial communications satellite deployment and operator arrangements.

## Notable For
- Being an instance of the HGS series of communications satellites.
- Multiple widely used names: primarily PAS-22 and AsiaSat 3 (also recorded as HGS-1).
- Launch on 24 December 1997 from Baikonur Site 81/23 aboard a Proton-K with a Blok DM-2M upper stage.
- Recorded operators include AsiaSat and Hughes Aircraft Company (the latter noted in 1998).
- Clear registry identifiers: COSPAR ID 1997-086A and satellite catalog number 25126.

## Body
### Overview
- PAS-22 is classified as a communications satellite.
- It is an instance of the HGS series (a class/series of communications satellites).

### Identifiers and Names
- Primary title (Wikipedia): PAS-22.
- Aliases: AsiaSat 3; HGS-1; and localized names including アジアサット3, 亚洲3号, 亚洲3S卫星, 亚洲3S, 亞洲三號衛星.
- COSPAR ID: 1997-086A.
- Satellite catalog number (scn): 25126.
- Freebase ID: /m/065ztw.
- Media image reference: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Asiasat-3.gif.

### Launch and Launch Vehicle
- Launch date: 1997-12-24 (24 December 1997).
- Launch vehicle: Proton-K (Russian, previously Soviet, carrier rocket).
- Upper stage / space tug: Blok DM-2M.
- Launch site: Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 81/23 (also recorded as Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 81).

### Operators and Timeline
- Operator listed: AsiaSat.
- Hughes Aircraft Company is recorded as an operator with a point-in-time entry for 1998.
- The satellite is linked to commercial operator arrangements typical for communications satellites of its era.

### Classification and Platform
- Instance of: HGS (series of communications satellites).
- Role: communications satellite (as described in the entity's wikidata description).

### Metadata and References
- Wikidata description: communications satellite.
- Sit elink count (Wikipedia language links): 9.
- Wikipedia languages available for the title PAS-22: de, en, fr, hu, id, ja, pt, ru, zh.

(Information in this entry is drawn exclusively from the provided structured source material.)

## References

1. Jonathan's Space Report
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013