State-owned operator China Telecommunications Broadcast Satellite Corp. (Chinasat) selected Loral Space & Communications Ltd. [LOR] unit Space Systems/ Loral (SS/L) to build Chinasat 8, a hybrid satellite. The satellite, which replaces the Chinasat 7 satellite lost in a launch failure, will have 36 C-band transponders and 16 Ku-band transpon ders. SS/L plans in-orbit delivery in late 1998. Chinasat 8, based on the FS-1300 bus, is the most powerful satellite China has ever purchased, SS/L said. The contract coincides with the disclo sure by the government of Papua New Guinea that SS/L will build three satellites to place into its orbital slots (see story, p. 4). Meanwhile, in December Loral signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinasat for the operator to be the Chinese service provider for Globalstar L.P. [GSTRF]. (Loral, 703/414-1045.)