flown missionSuccess

Long March 3B | Tiantong-1-02

China Aerospace Science and Technology CorporationLaunch Complex 2 (LC-2) — Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

The launch vehicle successfully inserted its payload(s) into the target orbit(s).

mission

Name
Tiantong-1-02
Type
Communications
Target orbit
Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO)

Designed by the CAST Institute (China Academy of Space Technology), a subsidiary of the Chinese aerospace group CASC and specialized in spacecraft design, the Tiantong-1 02 satellite will be operated by China Satellite Communications Co. Ltd, another CASC subsidiary which owns about ten communication satellites such as the ChinaStar and APStar. Tiantong-1 02 is the second satellite of China's first mobile communication network. It uses a Chinese DFH-4 satellite platform, and, according to its manufacturer CAST, has the highest payload mass utilization rate compared to other satellites of the same family. The project was launched in 2010 following the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan, where almost all ground communication networks were paralyzed. China had no mobile communication satellites at the time, so it had to lease services from foreign countries, such as Inmarsat in Europe, for its rescue teams.

schedule

NET (no earlier than)
Window opens
Window closes
Last updated

vehicle & provider

Rocket
Long March 3B/E
Family
Long March
Variant
B/E
Provider
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
Type
Government
Country
CHN

launch site

Pad
Launch Complex 2 (LC-2)
Location
Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Country
CHN
Timezone
Asia/Shanghai