China to launch new remote sensing satellite

JIUQUAN, Gansu Province, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- China will launch a new remote sensing satellite "Yaogan " on Monday at the northwestern Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwestern province of Gansu, an official with the center said on Sunday.

    The satellite was to be aboard a Long March-2D carrier rocket into the space "at an appropriate time", the official said.

    At present, both the rocket and the satellite were in good condition and the preparation went on well.

    The satellite would be used for scientific research, land resources surveying, crop yield estimate and disaster prevention and relief. "It will play a positive role in the country's economic development," he said.

    Its predecessor "Yaogan III" was launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province on Nov. 12, 2007.

    The "Yaogan I" satellite was launched from Taiyuan on April 27,2006, and the "Yaogan II" was launched on May 25, 2007 from Jiuquan.

Resource - xinhuanet

Nigerian satellite launched by China loses power

A Nigerian communications satellite built and launched by China has been knocked out of service due to a power failure, a spokeswoman for China's launch services provider said Thursday.

The Nigerian Communication Satellite, or NIGCOMSAT-1, ceased functioning early Tuesday Beijing time, said Geng Kun, the spokeswoman for Great Wall Industry Corp., the company that sent the satellite into orbit atop a Long March 3-B rocket in May 2007.

"The solar wing malfunctioned, which led to exhaustion of electric power, then the satellite failed," Geng said.

Most satellites carry solar panels on an extendable wing to generate electricity, with backup batteries activated only when in the earth's shadow.

Intended to expand cell phone and Internet services in central Africa, the satellite's launch last year was hailed as the first time a foreign buyer had purchased a Chinese satellite and its launching service. It was built by the China Academy of Space Technology as part of a $311 million deal signed by China and Nigeria in 2004.

Nigerian Communications Satellite Ltd. Managing Director Abimbola Alale said technicians were working to diagnose the exact problem with the solar panel, but warned a fix could take "some time." Alale said the satellite had been placed into an emergency operating mode to enable the technical work.

China has built up a lucrative satellite launching industry, in part by catering to developing nations. Last month, Venezuela's Chinese-made Simon Bolivar Satellite was launched from the Xichang base in China's southwestern Sichuan province. It is scheduled to begin carrying radio, television and other data transmissions in early 2009 after three months of tests.

Resource - cellular-news

China launches telecom satellite for Venezuela

 XICHANG, Sichuan Province, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- China successfully sent a Venezuelan telecommunication satellite into space on the early morning of Thursday.

    It is China's first contract of manufacture and launching service for a Latin American country.

A Long March 3II rocket carrying a Venezuelan telecommunication satellite blasts off from the launch pad at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Oct. 30, 2008. China successfully sent a Venezuelan telecommunication satellite into space on the early morning of Thursday. It is China's first contract of manufacture and launching service for a Latin American country. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    Carried by a Long March 3II rocket, the satellite was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center located in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

    The satellite was produced by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation with an all-up weight of 5,100 kg and an designed longevity of 15 years.

People of China and Venezuela celebrate at the control center of the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Oct. 30, 2008. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    The orbiter, named as Venezuela 1 Telecom Satellite, is the first telecom satellite of Venezuela which will be used in broadcasting, tele-education and medical service by coving the most regions of South America and the Caribbean region.

    It will of great importance to improve living standards of the people living in the country's remote areas.

Delegates of Venezuela celebrate at the control center of the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Oct. 30, 2008. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    It has been also named as "Simon Bolivar Satellite" in the South American country to commemorate the independence leader of the Latin America in 1800s.

    According to the website of the Great Wall Industry Corporation, China's sole contractor for such space business, the country began its commercial space launch business on August 5, 1987, when a Long March 2C rocket carrier launched a micro-gravity test instrument for the French company Martra Maconi.

    In 1990, a Long March 3 sent the AsiaSat-1 Communications Satellite for the AsiaSat HK company into space.

    The Venezuelan satellite is the 111th space flight of the Long March family.

Resource - Xinhua