ChinaSat-12 communications satellite, constructed by Thales Alenia Space, is wholly owned by satellite operator ChinaSat. Part of its communications payload is leased to SupremeSAT from Sri Lanka and marketed to potential users as SupremeSAT-1. The satellite will provide communications services for the China, Sri Lanka, East Asia, South Asia, Middle-East, Africa, Australia and China sea area, the Indian Ocean region. The satellite is based on Thales’ Spacebus 4000 C2 Platform with 28 C-band and 23 Ku-band satellite transponders.

ChinaSat-12 was ordered as APSTAR-7B (as a backup of APSTAR-7) by satellite operator APT Satellite also from China. APT Satellite, Co. contracted CGWIC launch operator for the launch between April and October 2012, in case APSTAR-7 was not successful. The APSTAR-7 launch was successfully conducted and APT Satellite transferred the APSTAR-7B contract to ChinaSat that renamed the satellite ZX-12 (Zhongxing-12, ChinaSat-12).

ChinaSat-12 was successfully launched on November 27^th, 2012 with a CZ-3B (Long March-3B) launch vehicle operated by CGWIC launch operator from the Xichang LA-2 launch site in China.