MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS: FENG HUO AND SHENTONG

A January 2000 launch of a domestic communications satellite appeared to be routine. The launching on the Long March ЗА went smoothly enough, but further difficulties came up with the satellite’s name. Some reports called it Zhongxing 22 (or Chinastar 22). However, the “22” came from the location or slot allocated for satellites in 24-hr orbit (98°E, in the event): it was clearly not the 22nd satellite in this or any other series. Eventually, the 2.3-tonne comsat, almost certainly using the DFH 3 design, acquired the name Feng Huo 1, “fire and smoke” in Chinese, named after an ancient system of communicating using beacons along the Great Wall. Whenever invaders threatened ancient China, beacons had been lit all along the wall – a much faster method of warning than horseback. Built by the China Space Technology Institute, Feng Huo appeared to be a test of mobile frequencies for the Chinese military. American intelligence experts went further and said Feng Huo was part of a new command-and-control network, providing targeting capability for ballistic, cruise, ship, and aircraft-borne missiles. Both the United States and Russia used dedicated military communications satellites, so it was no surprise that the Chinese should eventually do the same. Director of the Feng Huo was Peng Shoucheng, bom in 1943, a graduate of Harbin Institute of Military Engineering, originally an expert in electronic countermeasures who had played a key role on the Dong Fang Hong 2 series of comsats. The official owner was identified as the China Telecommunications Broadcast Company, which operated under the Ministry of Post & Telecommunications.

The name Feng Huo was infrequently used by the Chinese. Instead, a new name appeared with the next mission – Shentong – launched in November 2003 and, again referring to the orbital slot allocated, also given the name of both Zhongxing 20 and Zhongxing 21. The third in September 2006 was called Zhongxing 22A, but this again referred to the location, not the satellite, and in effect was co-located with the first, but the Shentong title was not given. This mission was probably a replacement for the first Feng Huo and is called Feng Huo 2 here. The fourth launch on 24th November 2010 was called Zhongxing 20A, located over 130°E and identified as Shentong 1-2. It followed a straight path to geosynchronous orbit, where it arrived after four days. Little information was given on the Zhongxing 1A mission (September 2011), except for a report that debris came down in inhabited areas: one piece damaged houses in Sanxikou in Guizhou, while another fell near Mingkeng village in Jianxi. It was given neither a Feng Huo nor a Shentong designator, but could be either. It was almost certainly the first to use the DFH-4 bus, then becoming the standard communications satellite bus, with the May 2012 mission being the second occasion: certainly this would explain the use of the more powerful CZ-3B.

Chinese literature and promotional material have given little attention to the series, supporting the notion that it might be military. Trying to disentangle and interpret this series is quite hazardous. The precise difference between Feng Huo and Shentong is not known, but Shentong may have Ku-band multiple steerable spot beam antennae. The fifth mission, in May 2012, was given the identifier Shentong 2. It is possible that the two names indicate different owners, Shentong being an army project and Feng Huo combined military forces. The series is summarized in Table 5.3.