when it was parked in a graveyard orbit, Shiyan Weixing paved the way for the operational Shiyong Weixings, which remained China's primary communications satellite until replaced by the Dong Fang Hong 3. Satellites Satellite design The satellite was cylindrical with a height of , a diameter of and weighed . The Dongfanghong 2A satellite used a parabolic communications antenna mounted to the top of the satellite for broadcast purposes. The antenna could be rotated to keep it aligned with the Earth. Twenty-thousand solar cells were mounted to the satellite to provide power. This was China's first successful use of photovoltaic technology. See also Dong Fang Hong I Ren Xinmin, Chief Engineer of Project 331, a family of five programs to develop a communications satellite and launch vehicle and the technologies to enable and exploit their use References External links About Qi Faren, the chief designer of the satellite About Peng Shoucheng "director designer of antenna, transponder and tracking subsystem of Dongfanghong-2A satellite" DFH-2 article at Encyclopedia Astronautica Satellites of China Communications satellites in geostationary orbit Satellites orbiting Earth