Tim Furniss/LONDON
China Great Wall Industry (CGWIC) again launched a Long March 3B booster on 17 October, marking the second successful launch in less than two months and helping to restore confidence after the failure of the first LM3B in February 1996.
The booster carried Hong Kong-based Asia Pacific Telecommunications Satellite's (APT) ApStar 2R communications satellite into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) after lift-off from Xichang. The launch cost $230 million, including about $40 million insurance.
The latest launch of China's most powerful satellite booster, which followed the transportation of the Agila satellite on 20 August, means that CGWIC has scored six consecutive successes in a year, with the Long March 2C, 2D, 3, 3A and 3B variants (Flight International, 17-23 September) .
The LM3B, which can place 5,000kg into GTO, is manifested to launch three communications satellites: the ChinaStar 7, the Sinosat and the Chinsat 8. It also has four reservations for launches from US satellite manufacturer Hughes.
APT plans to launch an ApStar 2D and E in 1999-2001 and is negotiating launches with CGWIC. The 3,746kg ApStar 2R, built by Space Systems Loral, is a replacement for the ApStar 2, which was lost in a Long March 2E launch failure in January 1995. The satellite is an FS-1300 model, the same as used for two Loral satellites, the Tempo 2 and PanAmSat 6, which have both experienced problems in orbit since their launches earlier this year.
The problem centres on new gallium-arsenide solar arrays, built by Daimler-Benz Aerospace, introduced to replace traditional silicon solar cells to provide more power. Electrical charges caused by plasma build-up on the new arrays have resulted in short circuits, affecting transponder services. It is not clear if Loral will stay with the panel for future satellites.
Source: Flight International
