Angola
Angola on Monday confirmed the premature death of its first national telecoms satellite, Angosat-1, which was launched in December and was expected to have a working life of 15 years.
The Russian-made Angosat-1 struggled with repeated setbacks immediately after its launch from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan.
Contact with the satellite was soon lost and never recovered despite many attempts.
“The satellite remained in orbit from December 26 to 30. After that we had a problem,” Igor Frolov, a representative of manufacturer Energia RSC, said at a press conference in Luanda.
Angolan Telecommunications Minister Jose Carvalho da Rocha immediately announced that the satellite would be replaced by a successor, Angosat-2, under a new agreement with Russia.
“Building will begin tomorrow at no cost to Angola… it will have more capacity and be more sophisticated than its predecessor,” da Rocha said, adding it would be finished in 18 months.
The Angosat project was founded by Russia and Angola in 2009 and includes a control centre in a suburb of the Angolan capital Luanda.
Angosat-1 had been intended to improve satellite communication, internet access and broadcasting of radio and television across Africa.
Angola draws large revenue from its oil reserves but suffers extreme inequality with UNICEF calculating 38 percent of the population live in poverty.
AFP
01:10
Russian central bank hikes key rate in bid to avoid “stagflation scenario”
01:27
Moscow residents indifferent to Biden withdrawing from 2024 US presidential race
01:02
Russia and Ukraine exchange 95 prisoners, in UAE-brokered deal
00:59
Sergey Lavrov holds talks with foreign ministers at U.N. Security Council
01:12
Sergey Lavrov calls for Security Council reform and criticizes western dominance
01:10
Putin drives a new Russian Lada sedan on just opened final segment of Moscow-St Petersburg highway