ALTHOUGH scientists haven't given up hope of bringing China's SinoSat-2 to life, the satellite may have to be pushed from orbit to burn up in the Earth's atmosphere, said a SinoSat spokesperson yesterday.

Fan Xingmin said that although the satellite's solar array and antenna have not fully deployed, ground control can still maneuver it.

"The satellite might become space junk if it stays in the orbit but cannot work properly," he said.

Designed to be China's first direct-to-home satellite, SinoSat-2 was launched on October 29. The company revealed on Tuesday it was not working. The failured occurred on November 8, and as a result the satellite was unable to function.

"If SinoSat-2 cannot be restored, it has to be pushed out of orbit to leave room for its substitute," he said.

The Shanghai-based Oriental Morning Post yesterday quoted an unidentified space expert, as saying that there is little hope SinoSat-2 can be made to work properly. The expert speculated that it will likely end up being directed to fall through the Earth's atmosphere.

The satellite's manufacturer Chinese Research Institute of Space Technology still believes the trouble is only temporary.

 

(Source: Shanghai Daily, 2006-11-30) 

 

In an earlier report, Shanghai Daily writes:

 

A HIGHLY anticipated Chinese-made communications and broadcast satellite has apparently suffered a fatal failure, China News Service reported yesterday.

Sino Satellite Communications Co Ltd, the owner of the orbiter, said SinoSat-2 was unable to deploy its communications antenna and solar-energy panels, officials said.

The satellite, developed by the Chinese Research Institute of Space Technology, was designed to serve television transmission and digital broadband multimedia systems on the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. It was expected to enable all rural households to receive TV signals using a small dish, bringing educational programs and even remote medical services to farmers for the next 15 years, a previous report said.

The company launched the 5.1 ton satellite aboard a Long March-3B carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province on October 29.

A substitute satellite for the failed SinoSat-2 will take at least three years to develop, according to SinoSat.

"The company is drafting a replacement plan. The substitute satellite will not be a carbon copy of the previous one, and we are expecting more technical upgrades," spokesman Fan Xinming said.

In the company's first public admission that SinoSat-2 suffered a technical failure on November 8, Fan said that the satellite failed when the solar power panels stopped working.

"As a result, the spacecraft was unable to provide broadcasting and telecommunications services," he said.

Fan was quick to defend the SinoSat-2 in the wake of criticism over the costly flop.

"High risks are characteristic of the space industry. Many other satellite operators in China and overseas have suffered similar mishaps before," he said.

"We will not lose confidence in the domestic space manufacturing industry despite the setback."

Fan also said that SinoSat-3, dedicated to radio and television services, will be launched in May.

"The research and preparations for the new satellite have been going smoothly," he said.