Sino Satellite Communications Company
Encyclopedia
The Sino Satellite Communications Company or Sinosat was a Chinese limited company
, which provided satellite communications through a pair of communications satellite
s in geostationary orbit
. It ceased to exist in January 2008, when it merged with the China Satellite Communications Corporation to form the China Direct Broadcast Satellite Company. Their two satellites were, Sinosat-1 and Sinosat-3. A third satellite, Sinosat-2, failed shortly after launch.
using a Spacebus-3000 satellite bus
. It was launched by a Long March 3B
carrier rocket
from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre
at 09:20 GMT on 18 July 1998. It was placed into a geostationary orbit, and is currently operating in a slot at 110.5° East of the Greenwich Meridian. With the merger of Sinosat into China DBSAT, it was redesignated Chinasat 5B.
rocket was used to place it into geosynchronous transfer orbit, making the 100th flight of a Long March rocket. It operates in geostationary orbit at 125° East. With the merger of Sinosat into China DBSAT, it was redesignated Chinasat 5C.
Limited company
A limited company is a company in which the liability of the members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by shares or by guarantee. And the former of these, a limited company limited by shares, may be...
, which provided satellite communications through a pair of communications satellite
Communications satellite
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purpose of telecommunications...
s in geostationary orbit
Geostationary orbit
A geostationary orbit is a geosynchronous orbit directly above the Earth's equator , with a period equal to the Earth's rotational period and an orbital eccentricity of approximately zero. An object in a geostationary orbit appears motionless, at a fixed position in the sky, to ground observers...
. It ceased to exist in January 2008, when it merged with the China Satellite Communications Corporation to form the China Direct Broadcast Satellite Company. Their two satellites were, Sinosat-1 and Sinosat-3. A third satellite, Sinosat-2, failed shortly after launch.
Sinosat-1
Sinosat-1 was built by AérospatialeAérospatiale
Aérospatiale was a French aerospace manufacturer that built both civilian and military aircraft, rockets and satellites. It was originally known as Société Nationale Industrielle Aérospatiale...
using a Spacebus-3000 satellite bus
Satellite bus
A satellite bus or spacecraft bus is the general model on which multiple-production satellite spacecraft are often based. The bus is the infrastructure of a spacecraft, usually providing locations for the payload .They are most commonly used for geosynchronous satellites, particularly...
. It was launched by a Long March 3B
Long March 3B
The Long March 3B , also known as the Chang Zheng 3B, CZ-3B and LM-3B, is a Chinese orbital carrier rocket. Introduced in 1996, it is launched from Launch Area 2 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre...
carrier rocket
Launch vehicle
In spaceflight, a launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a rocket used to carry a payload from the Earth's surface into outer space. A launch system includes the launch vehicle, the launch pad and other infrastructure....
from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre
Xichang Satellite Launch Center
The Xichang Satellite Launch Center also known as Base 27 , is a People’s Republic of China space vehicle launch facility approximately 64 km northwest of Xichang City, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province....
at 09:20 GMT on 18 July 1998. It was placed into a geostationary orbit, and is currently operating in a slot at 110.5° East of the Greenwich Meridian. With the merger of Sinosat into China DBSAT, it was redesignated Chinasat 5B.
Sinosat-2
Sinosat-2 was based on the DFH-4 bus. It was launched at 16:20 GMT on 28 October 2006, also using a Long March 3B. After launch, its solar panels and communications antenna failed to deploy, making the satellite unusable.Sinosat-3
Sinosat-3 is a DFH-3 satellite, which was launched at 16:08 GMT on 31 May 2007. A Long March 3ALong March 3A
The Long March 3A , also known as the Chang Zheng 3A, CZ-3A and LM-3A, is a Chinese orbital carrier rocket. It is a 3-stage rocket, and is usually used to place communications satellites and Beidou navigation satellites into geosynchronous transfer orbits.It has formed the basis of the Long March...
rocket was used to place it into geosynchronous transfer orbit, making the 100th flight of a Long March rocket. It operates in geostationary orbit at 125° East. With the merger of Sinosat into China DBSAT, it was redesignated Chinasat 5C.