The APSTAR 1 spacecraft carries such general communications traffic as voice, fax, data, and television signals across China and Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, and Vietnam. APSTAR 1A has expanded coverage to India and Pakistan. Hughes Space and Communications International, Inc., signed a contract in May 1992 with APT Satellite Company, Ltd., of Hong Kong for the first satellite. APT ordered APSTAR IA in March 1995. The spacecraft were built at the Hughes Space and Communications Company facilities in El Segundo, Calif.

APSTAR I and IA are is the latest versions of the popular HS-376 spin-stabilized satellite. They carry 24 active transponders (with six spares), operating in the C-band (6/4 GHz) and extended C-band (3.6 GHz) frequency range, and are powered by 15-watt traveling-wave tube amplifiers. Each of the four channels has 72 MHz of bandwidth, and the remaining 20 each have 36 MHz capacity. Radiated power over China averages 35 dBW.

All spacecraft in the HS-376 satellite line has two telescoping cylindrical solar panels and an antenna or antenna array that folds down for launch. APSTAR I and IA measure 2.2 meters in diameter and a compact 3.1 meters tall when stowed for launch. With the solar panels deployed and the antenna unfolded in orbit, they measure 7.5 meters.