BEIJING,(AP) - A Chinese company confirmed Tuesday that a domestically built satellite it sent into orbit last month failed to deploy properly and that it would launch another broadcasting satellite next year.

SINO Satellite Communications Ltd. said its "Sinosat-3'' satellite was scheduled to launch in the "first half of next year'' and added in a statement on its website that preparations were going well.

The statement said Sinosat-2, launched on Oct. 29 from Sichuan province in southwest China, reached its proper orbit but failed because its solar panels and communications antenna did not open properly.

The satellite was designed to deliver television signals and digital broadband multimedia services to homes across China.

The Sinosat-2 and Sinosat-3 satellites were built for the company by the China Academy of Space Technology, a state-run provider of satellite communications.

Sinosat-1, built by the French company Aerospatiale, was launched successfully in 1998.

China's decades-old aerospace program has gathered momentum in recent years, allowing the country to place more advanced satellites into orbit for both commercial and military purposes.