Alcatel Space said the Apstar 6 communications satellite was successfully launched April 12 on a Long March 3B vehicle from the Xichang satellite launch center in China. Alcatel built the spacecraft for APT Satellite Holdings Ltd. Apstar 6, which is based on the Spacebus 4000 C1 platform, carrying 38 C-band transponders and 12 Ku-band transponders. It is the second new generation Spacebus 4000 built by Alcatel Space. The transponders, tailor-made for APT, were designed to enhance terrestrial reception and reduce the size of the C-band receiving dishes needed to communicate with the spacecraft. The footprint of the satellite extends from India to China to Australia. The orbital location at which the satellite ultimately will reside in was not disclosed.