China launches its first medium Earth orbit broadband satellites

China launched the first satellites for a medium Earth orbit broadband constellation late Wednesday. A Long March 3B lifted off at 9:43 p.m. Eastern May 8 (0143 UTC May 9) from the inland Xichang Satellite Launch Center, southwest China. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) confirmed launch success, revealing the mission payloads for the first time to be the Smart Skynet-1 (01) satellites A and B. More

(Source: SpaceNews - May 10)