Angola will launch its first satellite, AngoSat1, in December 2017
The Angolan authorities announced that the first satellite of the country will be launched in December. Ukrainian-made Zenit carrier rocket, loaded with an AngoSat-1 satellite built at Angola’s request, will be launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Angolan engineers in aerospace, trained in China, Argentina, Brazil, Japan and Russia, will guarantee the operation of Angosat-1. 45 technicians responsible for the decoding of Angosat signals are currently in training.
The satellite was acquired from a Russian consortium including RSC Energia, Telecom-Projecto 5 and Rosoboronexport and partly financed by the Russian state-owned Ruseximbank. It will cover part of Africa and Europe, and will allow Angola to substitute it for other regional satellites to acquire bandwidth and pay for this service in local currency. The satellite will only have a lifespan of 15 years, but Angola expects the spin-off of its work. The control center will be based in the municipality of Caruaco.
Angolan authoritise expect Angosat-1 to contribute significantly to the interconnection services of communication operators, telemedicine services, distance education and the expansion of communication services, including radio and television in remote areas of Angola.
On the economic front, the first Angolan satellite will contribute greatly to the expectations of the country. “Angosat will help promote youth entrepreneurship and develop economic diversification by fostering communication and interaction between people,” said Minister José Carvalho da Rocha.
Also, given its area of coverage, the technology and services provided by the satellite could be sold to other countries on the continent.
Source: Afrique La Tribune
