Apstar 6 is a

communications satellite A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio telecommunication signals via a transponder; it creates a communication channel between a source transmitter and a receiver at different locations on Earth. C ...

built by

Alcatel Space Thales Alenia Space () is a Franco-Italian aerospace manufacturer. A joint venture between the French technology corporation Thales Group (67%) and Italian defense conglomerate Leonardo (33%), the company is the largest satellite manufacture ...

, a subsidiary of

Alcatel Alcatel may refer to: * Alcatel, a former French telecommunications equipment company, which became Alcatel-Lucent and is now part of Nokia * Alcatel Mobile, a brand of mobile phones, tablets and wearables, formerly a joint venture between Alcatel ...

, and was boosted into orbit on April 12, 2005, by Long March 3B launcher from

Xichang Satellite Launch Center The Xichang Satellite Launch Center (XSLC), also known as the Xichang Space Center, is a spaceport of China. It is located in Zeyuan Town (), approximately northwest of Xichang, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan. The facility bec ...

in China. It provides APT Satellite, a satellite operator in the

Asia Pacific Asia-Pacific (APAC) is the part of the world near the western Pacific Ocean. The Asia-Pacific region varies in area depending on context, but it generally includes East Asia, Russian Far East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and Pacific Isla ...

region, with broadband media and television services. It is fitted with 38 C-band

transponders In telecommunications, a transponder is a device that, upon receiving a signal, emits a different signal in response. The term is a blend of ''transmitter'' and ''responder''. In air navigation or radio frequency identification, a flight tran ...

and 12 K_u band transponders. China is covered with a dedicated high power K_u band beam for

broadband In telecommunications, broadband is wide bandwidth data transmission which transports multiple signals at a wide range of frequencies and Internet traffic types, that enables messages to be sent simultaneously, used in fast internet connections. ...

multimedia transmission. It is the second model of the

Spacebus 4000 Spacebus is a satellite bus produced at the Cannes Mandelieu Space Center in France by Thales Alenia Space. Spacebuses are typically used for geostationary communications satellites, and seventy-four have been launched since development started ...

. The transponders have a reduced C-band receiving dish over a wide

footprint Footprints are the impressions or images left behind by a person walking or running. Hoofprints and pawprints are those left by animals with hooves or paws rather than feet, while "shoeprints" is the specific term for prints made by shoes. The ...

, which extends across India, China and Australia. It is significant in enhancing cooperation between Alcatel Space and China as a follow up to the

SINOSAT Sino Satellite Communications Co., Ltd. known also as SinoSat is a Chinese company. It provided satellite communications through a pair of communications satellites in geostationary orbit. Their two satellites were, SinoSat 1 and SinoSat 3. A ...

satellite. Apstar 6 was built as an

ITAR International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) is a United States regulatory regime to restrict and control the export of defense and military related technologies to safeguard U.S. national security and further U.S. foreign policy objectiv ...

-free satellite, containing no restricted U.S. components. Under the U.S.

regulations, U.S. satellite components may not be exported for launch on Chinese rockets. However, the U.S. Department of State did not accept the ITAR-free status of these satellites and fined the US company

Aeroflex Aeroflex Inc. was an American company which produced test equipment, RF and microwave integrated circuits, components and systems used for wireless communications. Its headquarters were located in Plainview, New York. In May 2014, Aeroflex wa ...

$8 million for selling ITAR components. In 2013,

Thales Alenia Thales Alenia Space () is a Franco-Italian aerospace manufacturer. A joint venture between the French technology corporation Thales Group (67%) and Italian defense conglomerate Leonardo (33%), the company is the largest satellite manufactur ...

discontinued its ITAR-free satellite line.

References

External links

Alcatel press release APT website
* Communications satellites in geostationary orbit Spacecraft launched in 2005 Satellites using the Spacebus bus Communications satellites of China 2005 in China Spacecraft launched by Long March rockets {{Communications-satellite-stub