NEXT SPACEFLIGHT

Status

Success

Beidou-2 I2

Launch Time
Fri Dec 17, 2010 20:20 UTC

Rocket

Long March 3A
Image Credit: CASC
CASC
Status: Retired
Price: $69.7 million
Liftoff Thrust: 2,962 kN
Payload to LEO: 8,500 kg
Payload to GTO: 2,600 kg
Stages: 3
Strap-ons: 0
Rocket Height: 52.52 m
Fairing Diameter: 3.35 m
Fairing Height: 8.89 m

Mission Details

Beidou-2 I2

BeiDou-2 (formerly known as COMPASS) is a constellation of navigation satellites. It is not an extension of the older BeiDou-1 but rather supersedes it outright. The new system will be a constellation of 35 satellites, which include 5 geostationary orbit satellites for backward compatibility with BeiDou-1, and 30 non-geostationary satellites (27 in medium Earth orbit and 3 in inclined geosynchronous orbit), that will offer complete coverage of the globe.

Payloads: 1
Total Mass: 1,900.0 kg
Geostationary Transfer Orbit

Location

LC-3, Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China

Stats

2010

71st orbital launch attempt

Long March 3

51st mission
8th mission of 2010
45th successful mission
8th consecutive successful mission