[March 21, 1999] Proton Launches AsiaSat 3S The AsiaSat-3S communications satellite is
headed to orbit aboard an International Launch Services
Proton rocket, the Itar-Tass news agency confirms.
Liftoff from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakstan, took
place on scheduled today at about 00:09:30 GMT.
Spacecraft separation is expected about 6 hours, 41
minutes into flight. AsiaSat-3S is the spacecraft ordered
after AsiaSat-3 failed to reach its proper orbit 14
months ago. During that Christmas Day launch in 1997, the
Proton rocket's Block DM upper stage shut down
prematurely. Manufacturer Hughes would later use the
spacecraft in a unique experiment to raise the orbital
altitude by swinging the satellite around the moon.
(Florida Today)
[March 18, 1999] Technical Problems Delay Iridium
Launch The 6th Iridium launch of Long March has been
postponed indefinitely because of technical problems,
executives from the companies involved said Wednesday.
The launch set for Friday was rescheduled for Monday and
then scrubbed, said an executive in Beijing with Iridium
Inc., who spoke on condition of anonymity. Geng Kun,
spokeswoman for China Great Wall Industry Corp., said
there were "technical problems on both sides."
The Iridium executive said the satellite, if launched,
would not have operated properly and has been shipped
back to the United States for repairs. (AP)
[March 16, 1999] Asiasat 3S Launch in Final
Preparations A combined Russian and American team is
conducting final preparations to launch a Proton rocket
on March 21 carrying the AsiaSat 3S commercial
communications satellite to orbit for Asia Satellite
Telecommunications Co. Limited of Hong Kong. The rocket
is scheduled to lift off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in the
Republic of Kazakhstan at 5:09:30am local time. The
launch window is ten minutes long. Notification of a
successful launch will occur after spacecraft separation,
approximately 6 hours and 43 minutes after liftoff.
During the 30 days after launch, AsiaSat 3S will then
undergo in-orbit testing prior to handover to AsiaSat. At
that time, it will replace AsiaSat 1, a Hughes-built HS
376 spin-stabilized satellite that was launched in 1990.
(Florida Today, BUSINESS WIRE)
[March 15, 1999] Taiwan Says China will Launch
Six Military Satellites Taiwan media reports that Taiwan has obtained
the intelligence that China will launch six military
satellites next year. These satellites include two
navigation satellites and four reconnaissance satellites.
The high-resolution satellites, coupled with advanced
optical and radar technologies, will significantly boost
China's reconnaissance capability, media said.
[March 12, 1999] AsiaSat 3S Launch Reschedules to
March 21 AsiaSat announced that the launch of its latest
satellite, AsiaSat 3S, has been rescheduled to March 21
at GMT 00:09. The postponement is due to the rescheduling
of a Russian launch prior to that of AsiaSat 3S. AsiaSat
3S, the company’s fourth satellite, was originally
scheduled for launch by the Russian Proton rocket from
the Baikonur Cosmodrome on March 18 (GMT 23:57 March 17).
The new satellite, a Hughes HS601HP model, will be
deployed at the orbital position of 105.5 degrees East
longitude, to replace AsiaSat 1. It carries 28 C-band and
16 Ku-band linearised transponders and will have a
15-year operational life. The satellite arrived in
Baikonur on February 20. (AsiaSat)
[March 12, 1999] China Urges U.N. to Prevent Arms
Race in Space China proposed Thursday that the United Nations
negotiate a ban on weapons in outer space. Pakistan and
Egypt backed China's proposal to launch formal
negotiations on outer space at the U.N. Conference on
Disarmament(CD), which has 61 member states. However,
diplomats said the U.S. delegation, which did not respond
to China's speech, may oppose to setting up a CD
committee to negotiate on outer space. (CNN)
[March 11, 1999] China May Launch Man Rated Long
March Soon ? Swedish Space Corporation's Space Events
Dairy website reported that the maiden flight of a
new version of the Long March 2E designed to carry a
manned vehicle will be made within the next weeks.
However, the message has not been confirmed by any other
sources.
[March 11, 1999] China Pushes Small Satellite
Development China is actively developing small satellites, Aerospace
China magazine reported. China has already started
several small-sat programs in China Aerospace Corporation
as well as in universities and institutes. Besides
announced CAST968A platform (SJ-5 and HY-1) and the
Tsinghua-1 micro-sat, Harbin Institute of Technology has
also a small-sat program underway. China Academy of
Science(CAS) will be responsible for developing
nano-satellite and payloads for other small-sat programs.
Up to 20 small satellites has been proposed launched in
next few years. They include a 6-satellite earth
observation constellation (two radar-sats and four optics
sats) by CAST, a 7-satellite constellation using
Tsinghua-1 class micro-sat, and two astrophysical
satellites by CAS. The magazine also reveals that the
Chinese small launcher Long March 1D made its maiden
flight, probably suborbital, successfully in November
1997.
[March 11, 1999] RocSat-1 Experiment Delayed Taiwan's National Space Program Office admits
they have delayed the Ka-band communication experiment,
one of three major experiments on RocSat-1, to the second
half of this year. The delay was caused by long
processing time for the export license by the U.S.
government. There are U.S. built components in RocSat-1
ground station. The ground station was still not ready
when the satellite lifts off.
[March 7, 1999] Alcaltel Contacts Great Wall For
Skybridge Launch Alcaltel has contacted China Great Wall and
other three launch service providers, Boeing, ILS and
Arianespace, for its Skybridge constellation (80
satellites) construction, said Jean-Claude HUSSON, CEO of
Alcatel Space. He says that Alcatel will be choosing its
launch providers during the second half of this year.
(go-ariane)
[March 6, 1999] CBERS-1 (ZY-1) Targets July
Launch China and Brasil are preparing a Long March 4B
launch in July to send the China-Brasil Earth Resource
Satellite (CBERS-1, or ZY-1) into orbit. A Brasilian
micro-satellite called SACI-1 will also be launched as
piggyback payload on the CZ-4B. SACI-1 is a 60 kg
scientific satellite developed by INPE, the National
Institute of Space Research of Brasil. Tests of SACI-1
will be finished this month and the satellite will be
shipped to China in April. On the other hand, a high
level Chinese delegation will arrive in Brasil this month
to discuss further cooperation on CBERS program. (INPE)
[March 1, 1999] China Denies Shuttle Test Next
Year Zhang Heqi, the chief astronomer in Chinese
space program and former director of Purple Mount.
(Zijingshan) Astronomical Observatory, said that an
earlier report regarding the Chinese shuttle is
incorrect. "It is a manned spacecraft instead of a
shuttle. There will be an unmanned launch in one or two
years. A manned launch will follow this test in next few
years." He said. Zhang indicated that the first
unmanned spacecraft may carry animals to pave the way for
future manned flights. It is also reported that China has
selected several astronaut candicates from PLA Air Force
fighter pilots. (Guangzhou Daily)
[March 1, 1999] APMT Still Has Chance Hughes still may have chance to export APMT
Satellite to China, Commerce Dept. official said. In
letter to Hughes, Commerce Asst. Secy. Roger Majak said
reason State Dept. vetoed company's application to export
satellite to China was APMT's planned use of Chinese Long
March rocket. Hughes has 20 calendar days (from Feb. 24
to Mar. 15) to respond to letter before final license
decision would be made. Hughes spokesman said they are
encouraged by the letter and there are other launch
vehicle options for APMT satellite.
[March 1, 1999] China Reacts to APMT Deal
Cancellation China last week called the decision by the U.S.
government to cancel the APMT satellite sale
"entirely unjustifiable" and warned it would
hurt relations. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue
said the U.S. decision "will only have negative
impact on the normal economic and trade relations between
the two countries and cooperation between the two
sides." "We ask the U.S. to correct its wrong
decision," Zhang told reporters. Zhang said the
satellite was intended for civilian mobile
telecommunications and was a mutually beneficial, normal
business transaction conducive to regional economic
development. U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
arrived in China today amid increasing tensions between
the two countries.
