A domestic communications satellite, launched aboard a Long March 3 rocket on Sunday from the Xichang Space Center in Southwestern China, went into a lower orbit than planned and is said to be unlikely to be salvaged. There was a problem with the third-stage booster, which shut down 48 seconds too soon, said a spokesman for the China Aerospace Corp. The Chinapac-7 satellite, built by General Motors Corp’s Hughes Space & Communications Co, was insured for $120m.
