China successfully launched a satellite for radio and television broadcasts early Sunday, state media said.

The SinoSat-6 satellite was sent up from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province in southwest , the Xinhua state news agency reported.

The satellite was to be carried on the Long March 3B carrier rocket, Xinhua had earlier reported, quoting an unnamed official.

SinoSat-6 aimed to serve as a substitute for SinoSat-3, which was launched in June 2007 but failed to deploy its and communication antennae, Xinhua said.