China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) has signed an agreement with the Bolivian Space Agency (ABE) to construct and launch its forthcoming TKSat-1 communications satellite.
SatelliteFinance understands that the contract is worth in the region of…
China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) has signed an agreement with the Bolivian Space Agency (ABE) to construct and launch its forthcoming TKSat-1 communications satellite.
SatelliteFinance understands that the contract is worth in the region of US$300m with the Bolivian government paying just under US$50m and the rest being financed via a loan from the China Development Bank.
Under the terms of the agreement, the satellite will be manufactured by China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) and will be based on the DFH-4 platform with 30 Ku-band transponders. It will then be launched on a Long March 3A series rocket by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) in the fourth quarter of 2013.
The two countries had agreed to work together on Bolivia’s debut satellite project at the beginning of 2010 when they signed a memorandum of understanding that was approved by representatives of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). As part of the pact, Bolivian president Evo Morales subsequently visited China to seal the agreement. The spacecraft is named after Tupac Katari, the Bolivian indigenous leader who fought against Spanish colonial rule in the late 1700s.
This is the sixth communications satellite in-orbit delivery contract signed by CGWIC with an international customer and highlights the company’s intention of increasing its share of the international commercial satellite market. CGWIC recently signed a bulk purchase framework agreement with CALT and CAST for 20 Long March 3A series rockets and 8 DFH-4 communications satellites in order to significantly increase its available capacity.
However, in order for this global push to be successful, CGWIC will need to make sure the DFH-4 platform does not suffer the same anomalies that have beset it in the past. The bus has suffered technical malfunctions with Sinosat-2, Nigcomsat-1 and most recently Sinosat-6. The next DHF-4’s scheduled to be launched are Paksat-1R and NigComSat-2, both of which are due in orbit in late 2011.
