ChinaSat 9

ChinaSat 9

Names	ZX-9
Mission type	Communications
Operator	China Telecommunications Broadcast Satellite Corporation
COSPAR ID	2008-028A
SATCAT no.	33051
Mission duration	15 years (planned) 15 years, 10 months, 17 days (27 April 2024)
Spacecraft properties
Bus	Spacebus 4000C2
Manufacturer	Thales Alenia Space
Launch mass	4,500 kg (9,900 lb)[1]
Start of mission
Launch date	9 June 2008, 12:15:04 UTC
Rocket	Long March 3B
Launch site	Xichang, LA-2
Contractor	China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT)
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Geostationary orbit
Longitude	92.2° East
Transponders
Band	22 Ku-band transponders

ChinaSat 9 (Chinese: 中星9号; pinyin: Zhōngxīng Jiǔhào),^[2] also known as ZX-9, is a Chinese communications satellite.

Launch

It was launched from pad 2 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre on 9 June 2008, at 12:15:04 UTC, by a Long March 3B launch vehicle.^[3] It is based on the Spacebus 4000C2 satellite bus, and was constructed in France by Thales Alenia Space in its Cannes Mandelieu Space Center.^[4] It is one of several ChinaSat spacecraft in orbit.

Mission

It was launched to act as a relay satellite for the 2008 Olympic Games, and will subsequently be used for general communications. Equipped with 22 Ku-band transponders, it was placed in geosynchronous orbit at a longitude of 92.2° East.^[3]

1. ^ "ZX 9 (Chinasat 9)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 9 June 2008.
2. ^ "中星9号". China Satellite Communications (in Chinese). 2 December 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
3. ^ ^{a b} Barbosa, Rui C. (9 June 2008). "CZ-3B Chang Zheng-3B launches ChinaSat-9". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 9 June 2008.
4. ^ Yuxia, Jiang (9 June 2008). "China launches French-built satellite". Xinhua. Archived from the original on 13 June 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2008.

Earth observationCommunication and engineeringData relay satellite systemSatellite navigation systemAstronomical observationLunar explorationPlanetary explorationMicrosatellites