Failure reason: Structural failure of payload fairing or satellite 48 seconds after launch destroyed the satellite. The launcher continued its flight to low earth orbit, where it successfully jettisoned the debris. The cause of the failure has never been identified with certainty.

Australian communications satellite built by Hughes Space and Communications Company in California.

Mission type: Communications · Orbit: Geostationary Orbit

Rocket: Long March 2E · Provider: Ministry of Aerospace Industry