ASIA SATELLITE Telecommunications is to purchase a third satellite, the Asiasat 3, to be launched in 1997, and placed into a geostationary orbit slot at 122¡E. It will complement the Asiasat 1 and 2 spacecraft, offering total Asia beam coverage, including India and China.
The Asiasat 1 was launched in 1990 and the second satellite, built by Lockheed Martin, is scheduled for a Long March 2E launch from Xichang later this month.
The contract to build two Sinosat Communications satellites for China has been awarded formally to Aerospatiale and Daimler-Benz (DASA). Prime contractor will be the EurasSpace 50/50-joint venture involving China Aerospace and DASA. The first launch will be 1997.
China's Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications is buying an HS-376 communications satellite from Hughes, to be launched by a Long March booster in July 1996. This will be a Chinasat series spacecraft, all of which have previously been built in China.
Source: Flight International