Sri Lanka is a step closer to owning and operating its first telecommunications satellite. Via a newly formed company entitled SupremeSAT, the country has signed a contract with China Great Wall Industry Corporation to design, manufacture and launch a…
Sri Lanka is a step closer to owning and operating its first telecommunications satellite. Via a newly formed company entitled SupremeSAT, the country has signed a contract with China Great Wall Industry Corporation to design, manufacture and launch a new satellite by the end of 2015.
The spacecraft, also called SupremeSAT, will be based on CGWIC’s DFH-4 bus, the same platform that has been used for the NigcomSat-1, VeneSat-1 and PakSat-1R satellites. Those international projects benefitted from financial support from the Chinese state, via the Export Import Bank of China Development Bank. Whether SupremeSAT will seek similar support has yet to be revealed.
In the mean time, the Sri Lankan board of investment has provided SupremeSAT with an initial US$20m of funding. The board stated that the plan is to ultimately provide the project with approximately US$320m of investment.
R. M. Manivannan, chairman of SupremeSAT commented: “The political stability supported by the favourable investment climate helps entrepreneurs like us to reach the space. I am very glad that this venture coincides with the vision of the President to make Sri Lanka a “Knowledge Hub.
“We are now closely coordinating with the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission on the necessary approvals for the launch and take this opportunity to thank the Board of Investment for the very supportive role they play.”
SupremeSAT stated that the satellite will utilise Sri Lanka’s orbital filing at 50E, however, the ITU told SatelliteFinance that there were currently no satellite network filings connected with Sri Lankan at present.
