APT Satellite Holdings

APT Satellite Holdings Limited
Company type	Public
Industry	Aerospace, Telecommunications
Founded	1992
Headquarters	Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Products	Satellite communications services
Owner	China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (majority shareholder)

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article APT Satellite Holdings, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 10 August 2025

APT Satellite Holdings Limited is a holding company incorporated in Bermuda, with its Hong Kong-based subsidiary, APT Satellite Co., Ltd., managing the Apstar satellite network. Both companies maintain their headquarters in Hong Kong.

By 30 June 2016, APT Satellite Holdings’ market value stood at HK$3.816 billion. It is recognized as a red chip enterprise, meaning it is incorporated outside mainland China but effectively controlled by the Chinese Government through China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). Another satellite operator based in Hong Kong, AsiaSat, also has partial government ownership but falls under a separate State Council authority via CITIC Group.

History

The establishment of APT Satellite Company Limited received approval from the State Council of the People's Republic of China on 26 March 1992. Initially incorporated as Free Union Limited on 21 January 1992, the company was renamed Trans-Asia-Pacific Satellite Communications Co., Ltd. on 10 March and subsequently became APT Satellite Co., Ltd. on 15 April 1992. As a red chip firm, APT Satellite was publicly listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on 18 December 1996.

Businesses

APT Satellite Holdings operates through its wholly owned subsidiary, APT Satellite Company Limited ("APT Satellite" or "APSTAR"), which owns and manages five active satellites: APSTAR-7, APSTAR-9, APSTAR-5C, APSTAR-6C, and APSTAR-6D. These satellites provide coverage spanning Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, and Pacific islands, reaching nearly 75% of the global population.

List of satellites

Equity investments

As of the end of 2016 (31 December), APT Satellite possessed a 3.49% equity interest in CNC Holdings (中國新華電視).

Shareholders

By December 2016, APT Satellite International was the principal shareholder of APT Satellite Holdings, holding a majority stake of 51.77%. The Chinese state-owned entity China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) indirectly controlled 42.86% of APT Satellite International through its subsidiary China Satellite Communications and directly held an additional 1.45% of APT Satellite Holdings via China Satellite Communications (Hong Kong). Moreover, CASC owned another 14.29% of APT Satellite International through China Great Wall Industry Corporation and directly maintained a further 1.45% stake in APT Satellite Holdings. Collectively, the CASC group commanded roughly 54.67% ownership in APT Satellite Holdings and approximately 57.15% in APT Satellite International.

In a transaction during 2011, CASC increased its stake by acquiring an additional 14.29% interest in APT Satellite International from its publicly traded affiliate China Aerospace International Holdings for HK$132.3 million.

Back in 2003, other investors in APT Satellite International included China Satellite Communications (then an independent state enterprise), SingaSat (a subsidiary of Singtel), and Kwang Hua Development and Investment (jointly owned by Ruentex Group and China Development Corporation).

The second largest shareholder in APT Satellite Holdings was Temasek Holdings, which held a stake of 5.51%, followed by International Value Adviser, LLC with a share of 5.12%.

External links