TS News - Chinasat Launch Fails

• From: martyn@twics.com (Martyn Williams)
• Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 21:43:21 +0900
• From owner-ts-news@tele-satellit.com Tue Aug 20 22: 14:30 1996

TELE-satellit News, 20 August 1996

Chinasat Launch Fails
  BEIJING, China, 96/08/20 (Sat-ND) -- Following the successful launch of
APSTAR 1A last month, China's space industry suffered a blow at the weekend
when the launch of Chinasat-7 on board a Long March launcher failed.

  Owing to a failure of its third-stage booster, a Long march 3 rocket
yesterday failed to put Chinasat-7 into the preset geostationary transfer
orbit. News Agency Xinhua today admitted the failure in a one-sentence
statement. According to a spokesman for Great Wall Industry Corp, "there was
normal ignition and normal lift-off, but the
satellite is not in proper orbit."

  Reportedly, the engine of the third stage shut off 48 seconds too soon.
Chinasat-7, now in a lower orbit than planned, is still monitored by the
Xichang launch site. But officials said there was little chance of putting
the spacecraft back on its track.

  Chinasat-7 should have supplied domestic television and telecommunications
service for China Telecommunication Broadcasting Satellite Corp. The
satellite was built by Hughes Space & Communications Co. It was insured for
US$120 million, partly by the domestic People's Insurance Co.

  By: Peter Klanowski
  Source: Sat-ND


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