Bejing, November 9, 2005 - China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) and China Satellite Communications Corporation (ChinaSat) today signed a Launch Services Contract for the ChinaSat 9 satellite using a Long March 3B Launch Vehicle (LM-3B).
According to the contract, CGWIC as the primary contractor will provide launch services for the ChinaSat 9 satellite, supported by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science & Technology Corporation (CASC), and the China Satellite Launch and Tracking Control General Department (CLTC). ChinaSat 9 will be launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the second half of 2007, and positioned at a longitude of 92.2°East.
ChinaSat 9 is a high-power direct broadcast television satellite with a long design life span manufactured by Alcatel Alenia Space based on its SB-4000 series platform. This satellite, together with another direct broadcast satellite based on the DFH-4 platform developed by China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), a subsidiary of CASC, will comprise the China Direct Broadcasting Satellite system.
The LM-3B rocket, designed and manufactured by CALT, is the most powerful geo-stationary transfer orbit (GTO) mission launch vehicle in the Long March family. The LM-3B’s GTO capability is approximately 5100 kg. To date, LM-3B has completed 5 consecutive successful flights, while the Long March family as a whole has notched up a total of 46 consecutive successful launches since October 1996, a high level of reliability which has become widely recognised in the international space market.
China Great Wall has completed 24 international commercial launch services for 30 satellites including 6 piggy-back payloads over the past twenty years. In recent years, the rapid development of China’s space industry, highlighted by its manned space program, has boosted the reputation of Chinese space products and helped to exploit international cooperation in the international space sector.