ChinaSat () is the
brand name of
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 ...
s operated by
China Satellite Communications
China Satellite Communications Co., Ltd. known as China Satcom is a Chinese aerospace company that provides services via satellites. The company was a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
China Satellite Communi ...
.
History
In 2007, a joint venture
China Direct Broadcast Satellite was formed to run the brand ChinaSat. It was a joint venture of state-owned companies
China Satellite Communications
China Satellite Communications Co., Ltd. known as China Satcom is a Chinese aerospace company that provides services via satellites. The company was a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
China Satellite Communi ...
,
China Orient Telecommunications Satellite
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and
Sino Satellite Communications. The latter was controlled by
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). However, China Satellite Communications was changed from a direct subsidiary of the
State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) to a direct subsidiary of CASC in 2009, the joint venture was dissolved and Sino Satellite Communications became a subsidiary of China Satellite Communications.
The brand ChinaSat was previously operated by China Telecommunications Broadcast Satellite Corporation, which was owned by China's Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. China Telecommunications Broadcast Satellite Corporation was merged with other state-owned companies to form
China Satellite Communications Corporation
China Satellite Communications Co., Ltd. known as China Satcom is a Chinese aerospace company that provides services via satellites. The company was a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
China Satellite Communi ...
circa 2000.
Satellites formerly operated by Sino Satellite Communications and China Orient Telecommunications Satellite were renamed with ChinaSat designations following the acquisition of China Satellite Communications by CASC. ChinaStar 1 became ChinaSat 5A, SinoSat 1 became ChinaSat 5B, and SinoSat 3 became ChinaSat 5C.
Satellites
ChinaSat 1x
The Zhongxing-1x (or ChinaSat-1x) series includes four spacecraft as of September 2022. Despite the ChinaSat designation the satellites are reportedly to be Fenghuo-2 military communications satellites manufactured by
CAST
Cast may refer to:
Music
* Cast (band), an English alternative rock band
* Cast (Mexican band), a progressive Mexican rock band
* The Cast, a Scottish musical duo: Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis
* ''Cast'', a 2012 album by Trespassers William
* ...
and based on the
DFH-4 satellite bus. They follow the first generation of Fenghuo satellites, namely ChinaSat 22 and ChinaSat 22A. The first three satellites have been launched from the
Xichang Satellite Launch Center using
Long March-3B/G2 rockets while the fourth one has been launched from the
Wenchang Space Launch Site
The Wenchang Space Launch Site ( zh, 文昌航天发射场, links=no), located in Wenchang, Hainan, China, is a rocket launch site — one of the two spacecraft launch sites of Xichang Satellite Launch Center (the other site is in Xichang, ...
using a
Long March 7A
, stages = {{plainlist,
* CZ-7: Two
* CZ-7A: Three {{cite web, url=https://www.space.com/china-space-program-new-long-march-rockets.html, last=Jones, first=Andrew, title=China prepares to launch new rockets as part of push to boost spac ...
rocket, and in particular:
* ChinaSat 1A was launched on 18 September 2011 at 16:33 UTC
* ChinaSat 1C was launched on 9 December 2015 at 16:46 UTC
* ChinaSat 1D was launched on 26 November 2021 at 16:40 UTC
* ChinaSat 1E was launched on 13 September 2022 at 13:18 UTC
The shift to a different launcher for the fourth satellite capable of carrying a greater mass to the intended geosynchronous orbit could indicate the use of a bigger and heavier satellite bus, possibly an upgraded version of the previously used
DFH-4 bus.
ChinaSat 2A
ChinaSat 2A was launched in 2012.
ChinaSat 2D
Zhongxing-2D (or ChinaSat-2D) was launched at 17:05
UTC on 10 January 2019 from the
Xichang Satellite Launch Center using a Long March-3B/G3 from the LA-2 launch complex.
ChinaSat 2E
Zhongxing-2E (or ChinaSat-2E) was launched at 16:30 UTC on 5 August 2021 from the
Xichang Satellite Launch Center using a Long March-3B/G3 from the LA-2 launch complex. The satellite is a military communication satellite and its real name is Shentong 2-05, with the ''ChinaSat'' denomination being a cover name.
ChinaSat 5A
ChinaSat 5A was launched in 1998, formerly known as ChinaStar 1. It was leased to
China Satellite Communications
China Satellite Communications Co., Ltd. known as China Satcom is a Chinese aerospace company that provides services via satellites. The company was a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
China Satellite Communi ...
's subsidiary
APT Satellite Holdings and renamed to Apstar 9A on 9 January 2014.
ChinaSat 5B
ChinaSat 5B was launched in 1998, formerly known as Sinosat 1. It was sold to
Pasifik Satelit Nusantara in 2012.
ChinaSat 5C
ChinaSat 5C was launched in 2007, formerly known as SinoSat 3. It was leased to
Eutelsat
Eutelsat S.A. is a French satellite operator. Providing coverage over the entire European continent, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Americas, it is the world's third-largest satellite operator in terms of revenues.
Eutelsat's satellit ...
in 2011 (as
Eutelsat 3A and then
Eutelsat 8 West D).
ChinaSat 5D
ChinaSat 5D was launched in 1996, formerly known as Apstar 1A.
It was placed in
geosynchronous orbit
A geosynchronous orbit (sometimes abbreviated GSO) is an Earth-centered orbit with an orbital period that matches Earth's rotation on its axis, 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds (one sidereal day). The synchronization of rotation and orbital ...
at a longitude of 51.5° East circa 2009. It was acquired by
China Satellite Communications
China Satellite Communications Co., Ltd. known as China Satcom is a Chinese aerospace company that provides services via satellites. The company was a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
China Satellite Communi ...
from subsidiary
APT Satellite Holdings.
ChinaSat 5E
ChinaSat 5E was launched in 1994, formerly known as Apstar 1.
[ It was placed in ]geosynchronous orbit
A geosynchronous orbit (sometimes abbreviated GSO) is an Earth-centered orbit with an orbital period that matches Earth's rotation on its axis, 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds (one sidereal day). The synchronization of rotation and orbital ...
at a longitude of 142° East and moved to 163° East circa 2012. It was acquired by China Satellite Communications
China Satellite Communications Co., Ltd. known as China Satcom is a Chinese aerospace company that provides services via satellites. The company was a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
China Satellite Communi ...
from subsidiary APT Satellite Holdings.
ChinaSat 6
ChinaSat 6 (ZX 6, DHF-3 2) is a geostationary communications satellite and as its predecessor (DHF-3 1) it's based on the DHF-3 satellite bus. DHF-3 1 was launched on 29 November 1994 but didn't reach its intended orbit and was declared lost, while ChinaSat 6 was launched on 11 May 1997 and reached its intended orbit but experienced technical malfunctions that could reduce its operational life. Both launches took place in Xichang Satellite Launch Center using Long March 3A
The Long March 3A (), also known as the Chang Zheng 3A, CZ-3A and LM-3A, is a Chinese orbital carrier rocket design. It is a 3-stage rocket, and is usually used to place communications satellites and Beidou navigation satellites into geosynchron ...
rockets.
ChinaSat 6A/6D
ChinaSat 6A (ZX 6A) was launched in 2010. Formerly known as SinoSat 6, it's a communications satellite based on the DFH-4 satellite bus. It was launched on 4 September 2010 at 16:14 UTC from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center using a Long March 3B rocket, but after launch the satellite suffered problems in the helium pressurization system, which lead to a significant reduction of the operational life to only 11 years. For this reason it was replaced in 2022 by ChinaSat 6D (ZX-6D), based on the upgraded DHF-4E satellite bus, that was launched on15 April 2022 at 12:00 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center using a Long March 3B/E.
ChinaSat 6B
The ChinaSat 6B satellite was manufactured by Thales Alenia 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 ...
, based on the Spacebus 4000C2 platform. It has 38 transponders, and is being used for TV transmissions and shortwave jamming across China, Southeast Asia, the Pacific and Oceania. It has a planned useful life of 15 years. The launch, on a Long March 3B launch vehicle, was successfully conducted on 5 July 2007. The broadcast used for some shortwave radio jamming
Radio jamming is the deliberate jamming, blocking or interference with wireless communications.https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-12-347A1.pdf Enforcement Advisory No. 2012-02 FCC Enforcement Advisory Cell Jammers, GPS Jammers, and Ot ...
purposes in China is carried on one of the Chinasat 6B transponders.
United States 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 objective ...
restrictions prohibited the export of satellite components for satellites launched on Chinese rockets. In response, Thales Alenia built ChinaSat 6B as an ITAR-free satellite, containing no restricted U.S. satellite components. However, the U.S. Department of State did not accept the ITAR-free status of these satellites and fined the U.S. company Aeroflex US$8 million for exporting satellite components. In 2013, Thales Alenia discontinued its ITAR-free satellite line.
ChinaSat 7
ChinaSat 7, a geosynchronous communications satellite launched in 1996, experienced third stage failure and a nearly unusable orbit.
ChinaSat 8
ChinaSat 8 was built by Space Systems/Loral
SSL, formerly Space Systems/Loral, LLC (SS/L), of Palo Alto, California, is a wholly owned manufacturing subsidiary of Maxar Technologies.
SSL designs and builds satellites and space systems for a wide variety of government and commercial cust ...
and scheduled for launch in April 1999 on a Long March 3B launch vehicle. However, the U.S. Department of State blocked its export to China under 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 objective ...
regulations. The satellite was sold to ProtoStar in 2006.
ChinaSat 9
ChinaSat 9 (ZX-9) was built by Thales Alenia 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 ...
and it's based on the Spacebus 4000C2 satellite bus. It was launched on 9 June 2008 at 12:15 UTC from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center using a Long March 3B rocket. It was intended to act as a relay satellite for the 2008 Olympic Games
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
, and to be subsequently used for general communications.
ChinaSat 9A/9B
ChinaSat 9A (ZX 9A) was initially intended to be a replacement for 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 t ...
's Sinosat-2 communication satellite with the name Sinosat-4, and as its predecessor it's based on the DFH-4 bus. In 2010 China Satcom
China Satellite Communications Co., Ltd. known as China Satcom is a Chinese aerospace company that provides services via satellites. The company was a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
China Satellite Communi ...
took over the satellite and gave it the current name. It was launched on 16 June 2017 at 16:12 UTC from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center using a Long March 3B/E rocket, but failed to reach the intended orbit due to an upper stage failure. After 16 days of orbit raising maneuvers it reached the planned geosynchronous orbit, but at the expense of 10 years of lifespan (out of 15).
Due to its shorter than intended lifespan a replacement based on the upgraded DHF-4E bus, named ChinaSat 9B (ZX 9B), was launched on 9 September 2021 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center using a Long March 3B/E rocket reaching its orbit without any issues.
ChinaSat 10
ChinaSat 10 was based on the DFH-4 bus. It was launched in 2011. Formerly known as SinoSat 5.
ChinaSat 11
ChinaSat 11 was based on the DFH-4 bus. It was launched in May 2013. ChinaSat 11 is used for Ninmedia, a free Indonesian TV network that provides many Indonesian TV stations.
ChinaSat 12
ChinaSat 12 was launched in 2012. Formerly known as Apstar 7B. A backup of Apstar 7, Apstar 7B was acquired by China Satellite Communications
China Satellite Communications Co., Ltd. known as China Satcom is a Chinese aerospace company that provides services via satellites. The company was a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
China Satellite Communi ...
from its subsidiary APT Satellite Holdings in 2010. It was based on Thales Alenia Space Spacebus-4000C2.
ChinaSat 15
ChinaSat 15, aka Belintersat-1, was based on the DFH-4 satellite bus
A satellite bus (or spacecraft bus) is the main body and structural component of a satellite or spacecraft, in which the payload and all scientific instruments are held.
Bus-derived satellites are opposed to specially produced satellites. Bus-d ...
. It was launched on 16 January 2016, at 00:57 (Beijing time).
ChinaSat 16
Initially known as Shijian
Shijian (, abbr. "SJ") is a series of satellites built and operated by the People's Republic of China. Some Shijian-series satellites have drawn significant concerns from the United States government and space observers who cite unannounced launc ...
13 (SJ 13), the satellite was launched on 12 April 2017 at 11:04:04 UTC into geostationary transfer orbit
A geosynchronous transfer orbit or geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) is a type of geocentric orbit. Satellite, Satellites that are destined for geosynchronous orbit, geosynchronous (GSO) or geostationary orbit (GEO) are (almost) always put into ...
using a Long March 3B/E launch vehicle. As the Shijian designation suggests, it is an experimental satellite that is supposed to test the electric propulsion of the DFH-4S satellite bus. The satellite has also been used for Ka-band high bandwidth communications experiments for in-flight internet services, achieving an internet access capability of 150 Mbps. After its experimental phase, it was transferred to China Satcom which is currently operating it as ChinaSat 16 (ZX 16).
ChinaSat 18
ChinaSat 18 was launched at 12:03 UTC on 19 August 2019 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center using a Long March-3B/E from the LA-2 launch complex. Although the launch was successful, the satellite would later malfunction in orbit and was later declared a total loss.
ChinaSat 19
ChinaSat 19 is a communications satellite launched on 5 November 2022 at 11:50 UTC from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center using a Long March-3B/E. The satellite will carry out the original duties of the ChinaSat 18.
ChinaSat 26
ChinaSat 26 (ZX 26) is a communications satellite that is scheduled to be launched on 14 January 2023. It will be China's first high-throughput satellite with a previously unmatched capacity of over 100 Gbps.
References
{{Chinese spacecraft
Satellites orbiting Earth
Communications satellites of China
Communications satellite constellations
Spacecraft launched by Long March rockets