China launches ChinaSat-4A communications satellite

HELSINKI — China launched a new communications satellite towards the geostationary belt Thursday, but revealed very little information about the spacecraft. A Long March 7A lifted off from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan island at 8:25 a.m. Eastern (1225 UTC) Aug. 22, rising into night skies above the coastal spaceport. State media Xinhua announced launch success around 45 minutes after liftoff. "The satellite successfully entered the predetermined orbit and the launch mission was a complete success," the terse news release stated. While the launch was expected, due to images of the rocket at Wenchang posted on Chinese social media…