Satellite bought by SZ firm launched

China successfully sent a commercial telecommunication satellite, known as APSTAR-6D, into a planned orbit from the southwestern Xichang Satellite Launch Center on Thursday.

The APSTAR-6D telecommunication satellite was launched by a Long March-3B carrier rocket at 8:11 p.m. The launch was the 339th by the Long March rocket series, according to Shenzhen Special Zone Daily.

The satellite, aboard the carrier rocket, was purchased by Shenzhen-based company APT Mobile SatCom Ltd. (APSATCOM) to provide satellite broadband telecommunication services for airborne, seaborne, terrestrial vehicles and other mobile communication applications.

It was developed by the China Academy of Space Technology, a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.

The development of the satellite has long attracted the attention of the industry, as it is China’s first global high-throughput broadband satellite communication system and the world’s first high-throughput satellite designed for a mobile service optimization system, said the Daily.

According to APSATCOM, the overall mass, communication capacity and complexity of APSTAR-6D have all reached new heights in China’s satellite development. The satellite is expected to provide high-quality broadband network and data communication services for users across the Asia-Pacific region.

Shenzhen has long listed the aerospace industry as a strategic emerging industry and high-tech industry. In recent years, with its aerospace industry booming, the city has launched a satellite almost every year.

“We believe that the successful launch of these satellites will further improve the satellite products and industrial chain of Shenzhen and its surrounding cities, and promote the development of the industry,” a person in charge of the Shenzhen Aerospace Industry Association said.

In 2014, Shenzhen issued its aerospace industry development plan (2013-2020). According to the plan, the city will strive to realize the goal that the output value of its aerospace industry will reach 150 billion yuan (US$21.43 billion) by 2020.

In 2018, Shenzhen released a supportive plan for the high-end equipment manufacturing industry, which focuses on areas including micro satellites, remote sensing satellites, communication satellites and terminal equipment.