Zhongwei 1
Long March 3B
China Aerospace Corporation
Mission
Zhongwei 1
- Type: Communications
- Orbit: Geostationary Orbit
- Launch Cost: $70,000,000
The Zhongwei 1 (Chinastar 1) satellite, an A2100A class comsat built by Lockheed Martin for the China Orient Telecommunications Satellite Co., part of the Chinese telecoms ministry. Zhongwei 1 will serve China, India, Korea and southeast Asia with 18 C-band and 20 Ku-band transponders. It was orbited on a CZ-3B launch vehicle using a supersynchronous transfer orbit.
Location
Launch Complex 2 (LC-2)
Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People’s Republic of China
Launch Complex 2 (LC-2) has witnessed the launch of 108 rockets, including 108 orbital launch attempts, while Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People’s Republic of China, has been the site for 202 rocket launches.
Rocket
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 3B
The Long March 3B is a Chinese orbital carrier rocket. Introduced in 1996, it is launched from Launch Area 2 and 3 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan. A three-stage rocket with four strap-on liquid rocket boosters, it is currently the most powerful member of the Long March rocket family and the heaviest of the Long March 3 rocket family, and is mainly used to place communications satellites into geosynchronous orbits.