China hands over NigComSat 1-R to Nigeria

Beijing (CNS) – China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) handed over a NigComSat 1-R to Nigeria Communications Satellite Limited for commercial operation at the Obasanjo Space Center in Abuja on March 19.

NigComSat 1-R is the eighth communication satellite China has developed on the Dongfanghong-4 satellite platform. It is designed to serve for 15 years. Launched on December 20, 2011, it successfully positioned itself in its geostationary orbit one week later. The spacecraft passed the in-orbit test and is now in operating mode.

The satellite, covering Central, Western and Southern Africa, the Central and Eastern part of Europe and some areas of Mid-Asia, will be used mainly for communications, broadcasting, tele- education, broad-band multimedia service and navigation.

It will not only serve Nigeria but also member countries of the Economic Community of West African States.

At present, the following-on cooperation program is proceeding steadily, including meeting readiness targets for the Nigcomsat2 and Nigcomsat 3.