Posted: Sun, Sep 5 1:56 PM ET (1756 GMT)
A Long March rocket successfully launched a Chinese communications satellite early Sunday. The Long March 3B lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 12:14 pm EDT Saturday (1614 GMT Saturday, 12:14 am Beijing time Sunday) and placed the SinoSat-6 satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit 26 minutes later. The satellite, which will eventually be located at 126.4 degrees east in GEO, weighted about 5,100 kilograms at launch and carries 24 C-band, 8-Ku band, and 1 S-band transponders. China Satcome plans to use the satellite to provide Television and radio broadcasting services for China.

Related Links:

•  NASASpaceFlight.com article
•  Spaceflight Now article
•  Xinhua article

Posted: Sun, Sep 5 1:44 PM ET (1744 GMT)
A Canadian astronaut will become commander of the International Space Station for the first time in 2013, NASA and the Canadian Space Agency announced Thursday. Chris Hadfield will fly to the ISS on a Soyuz spacecraft in December 2012 and become commander of Expedition 35 in March 2013 after another crew rotation. Hadfield will become the first Canadian astronaut to command an ISS crew and the second Canadian to perform a long-duration space mission, after Robert Thirsk in 2009. Hadfield, who has previously visited the ISS as well as the Russian space station Mir, will spend six months on the ISS on his upcoming mission.

Related Links:

•  Montreal Gazette article
•  Toronto Star article
•  SPACE.com article
•  CTV article
•  CSA press release

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