A GEO communications satellite was successfully launched by a Long March 3B/G3 (CZ-3B/G3) vehicle from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China, at 1630 GMT on 5 August. The vehicle was carrying the Chinasat 2E satellite which officially is intended to provide services for “radio, television and broadband multimedia”. However, it is believed that this series of satellites, under the guise of Shentong 2, are in fact used to provide secure communications to the Chinese military, specifically the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Phil Hylands contributed to this article.
