China has launched a Belarusian telecom satellite on Saturday at 12:57 AM (Beijing Time) from a satellite launch center at Xichang, China.

The Long March-3B rocket caried the first ever comminication satellite of Belarus. This is the first time a satellite has been launched by the People's Republic for a European country.

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China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation developed and designed the Belintersat-1 based on the DFH-4 satellite platform. It is fully equipped with 38 transponders and has a life span of up to 15 years. 

Belintersat-1, the first communications satellite to be managed by Belarus, will be placed 51.5 degrees east longitude of a geostationary orbit, according to Xinhua. From TV satellites and radio broadcasting to broadband Internet, the satellite will provide a wide array of telecommunication services in the Eastern European country as well as in neighboring areas, major contractor China Great Wall Industry Corp said.

This is the first of over 20 space missions that China is set to launch in 2016, including the Shenzhou XI manned mission as well sa the Long March 5 and the Long March 7 mission.

In 2007, China first sold its communication satellite to a foreign buyer when the NigcomSat was sent off to Nigeria. The country has continued to export communication satellites to other developing nations including Venezuela, Bolivia and Pakistan.

After the successfully launch a commercial satellite atop a Long March 3 rocket, China has served up to 20 international clients since 1990. The country has already sent off 43 spacecrafts and sent 49 satellites into the orbit.

TagsSatellite, Belarusian telecom satellite, Long March 3B, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, orbital mission