spacetoday.net: China launches communications satellite

Posted: Fri, Jul 6, 2007, 5:34 AM ET (0934 GMT)
Long March 3B launch of SinoSat 2 (Xinhua)

A Long March rocket placed a French-built domestic communications satellite into orbit late Thursday. The Long March 3B lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 8:08 am EDT Thursday (1208 GMT, 8:08 pm Beijing time Thursday) and placed the Chinasat 6B satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. The spacecraft, a Spacebus 4000C2 model built by Thales Alenia Space (formerly Alcatel Alenia Space), will be located in GEO at 115.5 degrees east. ChinaSatcom plans to use the satellite's 38 C-band transponders to relay television programming across China and elsewhere in East Asia. The satellite is a so-called "ITAR-free" satellite, lacking any US-provided components, so that the French-built satellite could be launched from China.