ChinaSat 9 (), also known as ZX-9, is a Chinese communications satellite.

Launch

It was launched from pad 2 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre on 9 June 2008, at 12:15:04 UTC, by a Long March 3B launch vehicle. It is based on the Spacebus 4000C2 satellite bus, and was constructed in France by Thales Alenia Space in its Cannes Mandelieu Space Center. It is one of several ChinaSat spacecraft in orbit.

Mission

It was launched 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 will subsequently be used for general communications. Equipped with 22 Ku-band transponders, 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 92.2° East.

References

Communications satellites of China Satellites of China Spacecraft launched in 2008 2008 in spaceflight 2008 in China Satellites orbiting Earth Satellites using the Spacebus bus Spacecraft launched by Long March rockets {{communications-satellite-stub