The Democratic Republic of Congo has become the latest country to secure a deal with an international space player to obtain its own telecoms satellite.
During a project signing ceremony in China’s coastal city of Zhuha last week, representatives from…
The Democratic Republic of Congo has become the latest country to secure a deal with an international space player to obtain its own telecoms satellite.
During a project signing ceremony in China’s coastal city of Zhuha last week, representatives from the African country met with Chinese officials to agree plans to build and launch the satellite within three years, reported state-owned news agency Xinhua.
The spacecraft, called CongoSat-01, will be operated by DR Congo’s National Network of Satellite Telecommunications (Renatelsat), and will be provided by China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC).
CGWIC’s state-owned parent group China Aerospace & Technology Corporation (CASC), which refers to a report of plans to develop the African satellite on its website, was unable to comment before the press deadline.
CongoSat-01 will be the second satellite that China has provided for an African country after a similar contract with Nigeria in 2004.
Last month, it was revealed that the government of Nicaragua was negotiating with CGWIC to launch its own telecoms satellite in 2016 under a US$300m deal.
A spokesperson for the investment promotion agency of the Nicaraguan government confirmed the talks were taking place, but declined to comment on whether Chinese banks were lining up to fund the project as reported.
Other countries that have recently secured agreements with CGWIC for their first satellite include Sri Lanka, Laos and Bolivia.
As well as China, Russia has also been keen to strike up similar deals, with its most recent being an agreement with Armenia.
Richard Achinda Wahilungula, the head of DR Congo’s Renatelsat, has been cited saying that the African country had not contacted anyone but China to provide its first satellite.
A spokesman for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which coordinates orbital filings, said it had no record of the CongoSat-01 as SatelliteFinance was going to press.
