China Great Wall Industry Corp’s (CGWIC) launch of French operator Eutelsat’s W3C satellite on 7 October 2011 marked the first time a Chinese firm had placed a Western-built spacecraft in more than a decade.
Since 1998, US commercial satellites have…
China Great Wall Industry Corp’s (CGWIC) launch of French operator Eutelsat’s W3C satellite on 7 October 2011 marked the first time a Chinese firm had placed a Western-built spacecraft in more than a decade.
Since 1998, US commercial satellites have been subject to International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). This effectively bans US satellite components being shipped to China, because of concerns that the country could use the technology to develop missile technology.
However, in the past couple of years satellite manufacturer Thales Alenia Space has developed a so-called ITAR-free product line, enabling Western operators to use Chinese launch vehicles.
Eutelsat’s ITAR-free W3C communications spacecraft was launched on a Long March 3B rocket to replace the operator’s Eurobird-16, W2M and Sesat-1 satellites at 16E. Based on Thales’ Spacebus 4000 platform, the new satellite holds a total of 56 transponders, 53 Ku and three Ka, to provide broadcasting and telecoms services across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
Other large Western satellite operators have openly said they would consider using CGWIC to launch their satellites. However, despite operators often highlighting a lack of available commercial rockets, only Eutelsat has signed such a contract with the Chinese group.
Reports suggest operators with US government-licensed orbital slots are wary about a possible regulatory backlash from using a Chinese launch vehicle.
According to CGWIC, its launch of W3C represented the 148th flight of Long March launch vehicles.
The Chinese firm had been due to launch Eutelsat’s W3B in 2010, but this contract was later shifted to France-based provider Arianespace. However, following a leak to the spacecraft’s propulsion subsystem after its launch on an Ariane 5 rocket on 28 October 2010, the W3B was declared a total loss. Eutelsat received a reported US$320m from insurance underwriters for the failure.
