April 7, 1990: The launch of AsiaSat 1 marked the first time in history a satellite was returned to orbit. Built by Hughes for Western Union and originally named Westar 6, the satellite was stranded by a booster misfire in a useless orbit. It was rescued by Shuttle Mission STS-51 in November 1984. After repair by Hughes, the satellite was sold to the AsiaSat consortium and relaunched as AsiaSat 1 in China’s first commercial space launch. The HS-376 model spacecraft was 7.2 feet (2m) wide and 21.6 feet (6.5m) high, weighed 1,280 pounds (581kg) and was spin-stabilized, with the side-facing antenna and electronics despun in order to point at Earth

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