Xichang Satellite Launch Center
The launch of EchoStar made use of a Long March rocket flying from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province of the People's Republic of China. The launch took place at 11:50 UTC on December 28, 1995, with the spacecraft entering a geosynchronous transfer orbit. The spacecraft carried 16 Ku band transponders to enable direct broadcast communications and television channels through 0.5 meter dishes on the ground in the American continents.