Photo is courtesy of Xinhua.
On July 9, China successfully launched the APSTAR-6D satellite into orbit from the southwestern Xichang Satellite Launch Center.
The APSTAR-6D telecommunication satellite was launched by a Long March-3B carrier rocket at 8:11 p.m. (Beijing Time), according to the center, and has a launch mass of about 5,550 kg with a lifespan of about 15 years..
The satellite was developed by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
The satellite was purchased by the APT Mobile SatCom Limited to provide satellite broadband telecommunication services for airborne, shipborne, vehicle-borne, and other mobile communication applications.
A geostationary satellite, APSTAR-6D is a part of China’s first global, high-throughput, broadband, satellite communication system and is expected to provide high-quality broadband network and data communication services for users across the Asia-Pacific region, according to CAST.
With a communication capacity of about 50 Gbps and a single-beam capacity of up to one Gbps, APSTAR-6D will serve its users with high-quality voice and data transmissions.
To date, CAST has successfully launched 11 commercial telecommunication satellites for international clients. Thursday’s launch was the 339th by the Long March rocket series.
