Satellite launched to beam TV and Internet to the Asia-Pacific

A commercial Chinese communications satellite launched Friday aboard a Long March 3B rocket on a mission to broadcast television to consumers across the Asia-Pacific and connect passengers on ships and airplanes with the Internet. Owned and operated by APT Satellite in Hong Kong, the Apstar 9 communications platform is beginning a 15-year mission to replace the aging Apstar 9A satellite in orbit since 1998. Apstar 9 lifted off at 1616 GMT (12:16 p.m. EDT) Friday from the Xichang space base in southwestern China’s Sichuan province. A Long March 3B rocket, boosted by four liquid-fueled strap-on engines, put the satellite in orbit 26 minutes later, according to China’s state-run Xinhua news agency. More

(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Oct 18)