Beidou-3 G4

Mission

Beidou-3 G4

• Type: Navigation
• Orbit: Geostationary Transfer Orbit
• Launch Cost: $70,000,000

This satellite is a part of the geostationary component of the 3rd phase of the Chinese Beidou (Compass) satellite navigation system. It features a phased array antenna for navigation signals and a laser retroreflector and additionally deployable S/L-band and C-band antennas.

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 115 rockets, including 115 orbital launch attempts. While Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China, has been the site for 219 rocket launches.

The Xichang Satellite Launch Center is a spaceport in China. It is located in Zeyuan Town, northwest of Xichang, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan.

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.

Learn more about the Long March 3B

Agency

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) is the main contractor for the Chinese space program. It is state-owned and has a number of subordinate entities which design, develop and manufacture a range of spacecraft, launch vehicles, strategic and tactical missile systems, and ground equipment. It was officially established in July 1999 as part of a Chinese government reform drive, having previously been one part of the former China Aerospace Corporation. Various incarnations of the program date back to 1956.