GUANGDONG
- China Great Wall Industry Corp will launch the Democratic Republic of the
Congo's first satellite, which will also be developed by China, before the end
of 2015, according to a contract signed on Saturday.
The Chinese
company is the country's only authorised provider of commercial satellite
launch services for international clients. The contract for CongoSat 1, a
communications satellite to be developed and manufactured by the China Academy
of Space Technology for the National Network of Satellite Telecommunications of
the African country, was inked in Zhuhai, Guangdong province.
The signing was
on the sidelines of the Ninth China International Aviation and Aerospace
Exhibition, also known as the Zhuhai Airshow.
The contract
shows the CongoSat 1 design will be based on the DFH 4 satellite platform, capable
of covering the Democratic Republic of the Congo and all the central and
southern parts of the African continent through the advanced transponders
installed on the satellite.
China will build
ground control and training facilities and will train satellite-control
personnel for the client.
China Telecom,
one of the country's biggest telecommunications companies, will also play an
active role in the project by upgrading the operation system and providing
management services to the network.
The
deal marks the second time that China has exported a satellite to African
nations, following the NigComSat 1, another communications satellite that was
launched for Nigeria in May 2007 by Great Wall.
"Today is a
big day, a historic day, for us," Richard Achinda Wahilungula,
director-general of the Congolese network, said after signing the contract.
"China has
abundant experience in satellites and telecommunication. We came here because
China can help us develop a satellite and telecommunication, and we never
contacted anyone else for this project."
"Compared
with Western nations, China's satellite technology may arguably not be the most
advanced, but it definitely suits the demand of Africa. China has reduced
African countries' satellite operation costs and trained a great number of
professionals for us," said Bode Agusto, who was senior budget adviser to
former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo, according to an earlier report
from Xinhua News Agency.
China
Great Wall Industry Corp has completed three international contracts in 2012,
including the launch of VesselSat 2 for European space systems contractor
LuxSpace and VRSS 1, a remote-sensing satellite for Venezuela. By the end of
this year it will conduct two more launches for international clients.
China has been
providing launch services to international clients since 1990, when a
communications satellite was sent into space on a Long March 3 booster. As of
now, Great Wall has launched 35 rockets carrying a total of 41 satellites for
foreign clients. It has also provided seven piggyback launch services to
foreign clients.
"With the
support of the central government and the public, our aerospace industry has
enjoyed rapid development during the past years," said Lei Fanpei, deputy
general manager of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, parent
company of the China Great Wall Industry Corp. Despite the grim global economy,
he said, China's aerospace industry has maintained an annual growth rate of 12
per cent.
In addition to
the African country, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and two Hong Kong-based
satellite companies also signed service contracts with Great Wall.
According
to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, China aims to take up 10 per
cent of the international satellite market and 15 per cent in the world's
commercial launch field by the end of 2015.
zhaolei@chinadaily.com.cn