[Satellite TODAY 01-11-12] The China Great Wall Industry Corp. (CGWIC) has successfully launched Orbcomm’s VesselSat2 Automatic Identification Service (AIS) satellite on a Long March rocket from the Tiayuan Satellite Launch Center in China, the Machine-to-Machine (M2M) service provider confirmed Jan. 10.

   VesselSat2 was built by OHB System affiliate LuxSpace. Orbcomm said the satellite was successfully deployed from the Long March launch vehicle and placed into its proper polar orbit. VesselSat2 is undergoing initial in-orbit testing and is expected to enter into commercial service before the end of the first quarter of 2012.

   AIS data is used for ship tracking and other maritime navigational and safety efforts. VesselSat1, which was launched into an equatorial orbit in October, is already providing full commercial service.

   “With VesselSat2, AIS users will experience an even higher quality of service, including lower latency and optimal data delivery, solidifying our market leadership and bringing us another step closer to providing unmatched AIS service as we deploy our next-generation constellation,” Orbcomm CEO Marc Eisenberg said in a statement.