China successfully launched a Pakistani multi-mission communication satellite using a Long March-3B carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 8:12 p.m. on Thursday.
The satellite has successfully entered its predetermined orbit, marking a success for the launch mission. This mission marked the 524th flight of the Long March series of carrier rockets.
A Long March-3B rocket, carrying a Pakistani multi-mission communication satellite, is launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 30, 2024. /China Media Group
The PakSat-MM1 satellite, a collaborative design by the China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) and the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), is intended to provide a range of communication services, including broadband internet, TV broadcasting and telecommunication, to Pakistan and the neighboring regions, according to the CGWIC.
The PakSat-MM1 communication satellite. /Xichang Satellite Launch Center
Thursday's launch comes on the heels of the launch of ICUBE-Q on May 3, which was onboard China's Chang'e-6 mission.
Read more: China hands over Chang'e-6 mission CubeSat satellite data to Pakistan
This launch marks the third full satellite cooperation project between the two entities, following the launch of the PakSat-1R communication satellite in 2011 and the PRSS-1 remote sensing satellite in 2018.
(CGTN's Wu Lei, Lu Lidan and Zhao Chenchen also contributed to the story.)