NigComSat-1
Encyclopedia
NigComSat-1 was a Nigeria
n communication satellite. The initial contract to build the satellite was signed in 2004. It became the first Africa
n geosynchronous
communication satellite
, when it was launched at 16:01 GMT on 13 May 2007, aboard a Chinese
Long March 3B
carrier rocket, from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in China. The spacecraft was operated by NigComSat
Nigerian Communication Satellite Ltd. On November 11, 2008, NigComSat-1 failed in orbit after running out of power due to an anomaly in its solar array.
, was launched into a geosynchronous transfer orbit and subsequently it was successfully inserted into a geosynchronous orbit
, positioned at 42.5oE. It had a launch mass of 5,150 kg, and had an expected service life of 15 years.
, and carries a variety of transponder
s:
It design was to provide coverage to many parts of Africa, and the Ka-band transponders would also cover Italy
.
On March 24, 2009, the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, NigComSat Ltd. and CGWIC signed a further contract for the in-orbit delivery of the NigComSat-1R satellite. NigComSat-1R is also a DFH-4 satellite, and is expected to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2011 as a replacement for the failed NigComSat-1.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n communication satellite. The initial contract to build the satellite was signed in 2004. It became the first Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n geosynchronous
Geosynchronous orbit
A geosynchronous orbit is an orbit around the Earth with an orbital period that matches the Earth's sidereal rotation period...
communication satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
, when it was launched at 16:01 GMT on 13 May 2007, aboard a Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
Long March 3B
Long March 3B
The Long March 3B , also known as the Chang Zheng 3B, CZ-3B and LM-3B, is a Chinese orbital carrier rocket. Introduced in 1996, it is launched from Launch Area 2 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre...
carrier rocket, from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in China. The spacecraft was operated by NigComSat
NIGCOMSAT
Nigerian Communication Satellite Limited is a company under the Federal Ministry of Science Technology whose mission is to be the leading communication satellite operator and service provider in Africa. NIGCOMSAT is a public private partnership with the private sector envisaged to have a...
Nigerian Communication Satellite Ltd. On November 11, 2008, NigComSat-1 failed in orbit after running out of power due to an anomaly in its solar array.
Launch
The satellite, which is the third Nigerian satellite to be placed into orbitOrbit
In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet around the center of a star system, such as the Solar System...
, was launched into a geosynchronous transfer orbit and subsequently it was successfully inserted into a geosynchronous orbit
Geosynchronous orbit
A geosynchronous orbit is an orbit around the Earth with an orbital period that matches the Earth's sidereal rotation period...
, positioned at 42.5oE. It had a launch mass of 5,150 kg, and had an expected service life of 15 years.
Specifications
It was based on the Chinese DFH-4 satellite busSatellite bus
A satellite bus or spacecraft bus is the general model on which multiple-production satellite spacecraft are often based. The bus is the infrastructure of a spacecraft, usually providing locations for the payload .They are most commonly used for geosynchronous satellites, particularly...
, and carries a variety of transponder
Transponder
In telecommunication, the term transponder has the following meanings:...
s:
- 4 C-band
- 14 Ku-band
- 8 Ka-band
- 2 L-band
It design was to provide coverage to many parts of Africa, and the Ka-band transponders would also cover Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
China's satellite export business
NigcomSat-1 represented a milestone for China’s satellite export business. For the first time the China Great Wall Industry Corporation provided all aspects of in-orbit delivery of a satellite to an international customer. This included satellite manufacture, launch services, ground station construction, project financing, insurance and training.Failure and replacement
On 10 November 2008 (0900 GMT), the satellite was reportedly switched off for analysis and to avoid a possible collision with other satellites. According to Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited, it was put into "emergency mode operation in order to effect mitigation and repairs". The satellite eventually failed after losing power on 11 November 2008.On March 24, 2009, the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, NigComSat Ltd. and CGWIC signed a further contract for the in-orbit delivery of the NigComSat-1R satellite. NigComSat-1R is also a DFH-4 satellite, and is expected to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2011 as a replacement for the failed NigComSat-1.