CASC Long March 3B/E Tiantong-1-02
Long March 3B/E
Status
Success
Date
12 NOV 2020
15:59
Launch Provider
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
Launch Pad
Launch Complex 2 (LC-2)
Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Mission Overview
Designed by the CAST Institute (China Academy of Space Technology), a subsidiary of the Chinese aerospace group CASC and specialized in spacecraft design, the Tiantong-1 02 satellite will be operated by China Satellite Communications Co. Ltd, another CASC subsidiary which owns about ten communication satellites such as the ChinaStar and APStar. Tiantong-1 02 is the second satellite of China's first mobile communication network. It uses a Chinese DFH-4 satellite platform, and, according to its manufacturer CAST, has the highest payload mass utilization rate compared to other satellites of the same family. The project was launched in 2010 following the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan, where almost all ground communication networks were paralyzed. China had no mobile communication satellites at the time, so it had to lease services from foreign countries, such as Inmarsat in Europe, for its rescue teams.
Rocket
Long March 3B/E
Mission Type
Communications
Orbit
Geostationary Transfer Orbit
Stages
3
Livestream
Not availableRocket Details
The Long March 3B / E (G2) (CZ-3B / E) is one of the most successful medium-range launchers and the strongest variant of the CZ-3 series. It was specially developed for the transport of heavy communications satellites into a geostationary transfer orbit. The additional designation "E" stands for a higher payload fairing, stretched boosters and extended fuel tanks at the first stage, over the CZ-3B.
Height
56.3 m
Diameter
3.35 m
Launch Mass
456 T
Thrust
5,924 kN