China launches replacement for ChinaSat 6B

During the evening of the 9th of November, China launched a Long March 3B/E rocket carrying ChinaSat 6E to a geostationary transfer orbit from Launch Complex 2 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. The ChinaSat 6E is a communications satellite that will reside at 115.5 degrees east in geostationary orbit and take over ChinaSat 6B's tasks. This was also the four-hundredth and ninty-sixth launch of a Long March rocket.

What was ChinaSat 6B?

ChinaSat 6B was a Chinese communications satellite launched on the 6th of July 2007 atop of a Long March 3B. The satellite carries a large number of radio and television signals to large parts of Asia and Oceania, some notable ones are; China Global Television Network, Shanghai Media Group, China Central Television, Chongqing TV, Guizhou TV, Sichuan TV, China National Radio, Hebei TV, Nei Monggol TV, and China Education Television.

Thales Alenia Space built the satellite based on the Spacebus 4000C2 platform as part of its ITAR-free satellite line, ITAR stands for International Traffic in Arms Regulations and is a regulatory regime in the United States of America to restrict and control the export of defense and military-related technologies to safeguard national security and foreign policy objectives. The United States Department of State disagreed with the satellite being ITAR-free and fined the component supplier Aeroflex eight million United States dollars.

What is the Long March 3B/E?

The Long March 3B/E is part of the Long March 3 family of rockets, which is also part of the Long March series of rockets, and was originally based off of the Long March 3B rocket, which is now retired. The rocket has three stages fuelled by Dinitrogen Tetroxide, Unsymmetrical Dimethylhydrazine, Liquid Hydrogen, and Liquid Oxygen.

The Long March 3B/E can place up to 11,500 kilograms into low Earth orbit, 7,100 kilograms into sun-synchronous orbit, 5,500 kilograms into geostationary transfer orbit, or 2,000 kilograms directly into geostationary orbit.

The first stage is powered by four YF-21C engines burning Dinitrogen Tetroxide and Unsymmetrical Dimethylhydrazine for one-hundred and fifty-eight seconds. The first stage boosters are powered by one YF-25 engine each burning Dinitrogen Tetroxide and Unsymmetrical Dimethylhydrazine for one-hundred and forty seconds. The second stage is powered by one YF-22E and four YF-23F vernier engines burning Dinitrogen Tetroxide and Unsymmetrical Dimethylhydrazine for one-hundred and eighty-five seconds. The third stage is powered by two YF-75 engines burning Liquid Hydrogen and Liquid Oxygen for up to four-hundred and seventy-eight seconds.