CASC Long March 3B Shijian-13/Chinasat-16
Long March 3B
Status
Success
Date
12 APR 2017
11:04
Launch Provider
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
Launch Pad
Launch Complex 3 (LC-3/LA-1)
Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Mission Overview
This is a Chinese experimental geostationary communications satellite. Besides testing the electric propulsion, the satellite is also reported to carry Chinas first high-throughput satellite payload (HTS), with a capacity of 20 GB per second. The satellite is aiming to provide Ka-band satellite broadband and multimedia services. Additionally it is also to conduct space-to-ground laser communications experiments.
Rocket
Long March 3B
Mission Type
Communications
Orbit
Geostationary Transfer Orbit
Stages
3
Livestream
Rocket Details
The Long March 3B is a Chinese orbital carrier rocket. Introduced in 1996, it is launched from Launch Area 2 and 3 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan. A three-stage rocket with four strap-on liquid rocket boosters, it is currently the most powerful member of the Long March rocket family and the heaviest of the Long March 3 rocket family, and is mainly used to place communications satellites into geosynchronous orbits.
Height
54.8 m
Diameter
3.35 m
Launch Mass
426 T
Thrust
5,923 kN