NIGCOMSAT 1 Passes Design Appraisal

The NIGCOMSAT 1 (Nigerian Communication Satellite) to be exported to Nigeria has passed preliminary design appraisal on July 1st in Beijing.
At present all the work, involving the satellite development, rocket production and construction of ground stations, etc. are in smooth progress in accordance with plan. This means China has made breakthrough in export of complete satellite.

The contract for the satellite program was signed Dec 15, 2004 in Abuja, capital of Nigeria between China Great Wall Industry Corporation and National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA).

According to the contract, China will provide Nigeria with Nigocomsat-1 communication satellite, developed on the basis of the Dongfanghong-4 satellite platform.

Nigocomsat-1 carries transmitters at 28 wave bands and will be able to satisfy Nigeria's demands in telecom, broadcasting, and broadband multimedia service.

The satellite is to be launched by a Long March 3B carrier rocket at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. Two ground stations located in Abuja, Nigeria and China's Kashi will be built too.

Operating support and personnel training will also be offered. The delivery of the satellite in orbit is scheduled at the beginning of 2007.

A total of 22 companies from China, the US, the UK, France, Italy and Israel have participated in the bid for the satellite.

China Great Wall Industry Corporation finally won the bid after rounds of fierce competitions. In March 2005, a kick-off meeting for the program was held in Beijing.

The cooperation between China and Nigeria is of paramount significance in expanding influence of China's aerospace cause in the world, in particular, in developing countries, said Wang Haibo, President of the Great Wall Corp.

Source: Xinhua News Agency