Nigeria, on Monday, launched a broadcast satellite into orbit to replace NIGCOMSAT 1 which was lost in space in 2008, 18 months after its launch.
Project manager, Abdulrahman Adejah disclosed that NIGCOMSAT-1R had been successfully launched from a Chinese launch pad.
The satellite, which is expected to provide phone, broadband internet and broadcasting services in Nigeria and other African countries, was built by the China Academy of Space Technology.
Nigcomsat 1R is based on China's DFH-4 spacecraft platform. China has reached agreements to build DFH-4 communications satellites for several non-traditional players in the space industry, including Pakistan, Nigeria, Venezuela, Laos and Bolivia.
Nigcomsat Ltd., a company chartered by the Nigerian government, will operate the satellite for up to 15 years.
Nigeria ordered the replacement satellite from China in 2009 at "no extra cost to the Nigerian customer" after the failure of the first Nigcomsat spacecraft, according to China Great Wall Industry Corp.
Nigcomsat 1R's communications package includes 28 active transponders and seven antennas reaching across sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and Central Asia.
China added several upgrades to Nigcomsat 1R to improve its performance over the preceding satellite. A Ku-band spot beam on NIGCOMSAT 1R will provide communications links between Nigeria and China, according to the Nigcomsat website.It will be recalled that Nigeria also launched two observation satellites in August 2011.-DAILY TIMES
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