 The attempted launch of one of China's Long March 3B carrier rockets failed on Thursday evening, resulting in the loss of a communications satellite that the country built for Indonesia, Xinhua News Agency has reported. The report said the rocket blasted off at 7:46 pm from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province and had technical problems during its third stage before falling back to Earth. The satellite – PALAPA-N1 – was developed by the China Academy of Space Technology in Beijing to replace the PALAPA-D that was launched by a Long March 3B from the Xichang center in 2009. It was expected to provide broadcasting and broadband internet services across Indonesia. The report added that an investigation has been opened. (Responsible editor：鼎盛军事论坛) |
