[3][4] It had a launch weight of 4,820 kg (10,630 lb), a 15-year design life and was the first commercial communications satellite built in Japan.

By the time of the actual launch it was a fully used Superbird-C2 as a replacement for Superbird-C to provide communications services to Japan, East Asia and the Pacific Ocean.

[1] In April 2005, Space Communications Corporation (SCC) issued an Request for proposal (RFP) for Superbird-7, a spacecraft destined to replace the aging Superbird-C. On 28 June 2005, Mitsubishi Electric (MELCO) got first contract negotiations right, and on31 October 2005, SCC and MELCO successfully concluded the contract negotiation.

[4] On 1 November 2005, SCC makes the orders to MELCO official for the first commercial communications satellite to be built in Japan, the Superbird-7.

[4] Superbird-7 was expected to weight around 5,000 kg (11,000 lb), have 28 Ku-band transponders, a design life of 15 years and be launched on the first quarter of 2008.