China successfully launched a new mobile telecommunication satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern Sichuan Province on November 12. The Tiantong 1-02 satellite was launched at 11:59 p.m. by a Long March-3B carrier rocket.

Tiantong-1 is a satellite mobile communication system independently developed and built by China.

The Tiantong 1-02 satellite will establish a mobile network with ground facilities to provide all-weather, all-time, stable and reliable mobile communication services for users in China and its surrounding areas, including the Middle East, Africa, and most sea areas in the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean.