China launches ‘ APStar 6E ’ for telecommunication services
Country invests in low cost satellites bulit with the DFH-3E chassis
China successfully launched the Asia Pacific APStar 6E satellite at 02:10 on January 13, 2023 Beijing Time ( 18:10 UTC on 12 ), using the Long March rocket 2C number Y61 ( CZ-2C ), which Launches from the LC-3 platform of the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. The satellite will provide broadband and high-speed communication services to Southeast Asia, filling a gap in the broadband communication market in the region, with twenty-five punctual bundles of Ku band and three bundles of gateway. The total communication capacity is over 30 Gbps. The satellite has a mass of 4,300 kg including the propulsion stage ( 2,090 kg of the satellite and the propulsion module with 2,210 kg ). The set was placed in an initial orbit of 200 km x 500 km with an inclination of 28.5 °.
APStar 6E was built on a 1.3 ton class , CAST DFH-3E platform ( light to medium for satellite standards of its type ), it has two large panels spans 18.10 meters to power its transponders and the electric motor; has a useful life of 15 years. The DFH-3E serves to meet the demands of low-cost geostationary communication satellites in developing countries. The orbital stage YZ-1S (Yuanzheng) will insert in the GTO transfer ( a process that can take 10 and a half hours ) and from there the satellite will take ten months to reach the geostationary position in 134 ° east using it's electric motor.
While competing firms like Astranis and Saturn are building small stationary satellites weighing a few hundred pounds, the DFH-3E is the closest size to a regular satellite, but with electric propulsion and a lower payload. According to official Chinese sources, the DFH-3E can reach a launch mass of 3,200kg, which is 60% the size of a standard GEO satellite; however, the 1,300 kg Apstar-6E satellite is suitable for the capacity of the CZ-2C in geostationary transfer. The total cost of satellite and launch is around US $ 137.59 million, with delivery scheduled for August 31, 2023. The satellite has Ku band HTS capability, which should allow you to increase the capacity of the newly launched Apstar-6D, which also uses Ku band HTS.
This mission marks the 460th launch of a rocket named “ Long March ” for launch vehicles, adding up all its versions.
3rd Chinese Launch of 2023, and the 6,363rd overall Orbital launches till date.
APStar
APT Satellite Company Ltd. ( AP Satellite Co. or APSTAR ) is a wholly owned subsidiary of APT Satellite Holdings Ltd, a company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, being a satellite operator in the Asia Pacific region. APSTAR currently has and operates five satellites in orbit: APSTAR-5C, APSTAR-6C, APSTAR-7, APSTAR-9A and APSTAR-6D, covering regions in Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia and the Pacific Islands that contain approximately 75% of the world population. The company is also leasing Chinasat-12 ( APSTAR-7B ) capabilities from ChinaSat. APSTAR is a rapidly growing operator based in Hong Kong. APT Satellite recorded revenue of 1.24 billion Hong Kong dollars ( 160 million dollars ) in 2018, an increase of 2.5% over the previous year. APT has two regional competitors, AsiaSat,a satellite operator based in Hong Kong and Thaicom, a satellite operator based in Thailand.