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.
The Long March 3 is a chinese orbital carrier rocket. They all launched from Launch Area 3 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. It is a 3 stage rocket used to put communication satellites into geosynchronous trasfer orbits.
