One satellite launched, and another repaired

It was a day of double delight for China's space industry yesterday - the country celebrated the launch of an oceanic survey satellite and the fixing of a malfunctioning satellite that was blasted off two months ago.

But the news on Sinosat 2, the country's first direct broadcast satellite launched on October 29, was not as good.

"I understand scientists have fixed glitches on the solar panels of the Beidou navigation satellite," said Xiong Li, vice-president of Sino Satellite Communications Co, owner of Sinosat 2, which was unable to deploy its solar panels and communications antennae, rendering it a virtual failure.