At 00:01am on May 14, 2007, Beijing time, Nigeria’s first communications satellite, NigcomSat-1, was successfully launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center aboard a Long March 3B launch vehicle. This marks the first time that China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) delivers a satellite, launch services and ground system as a single package to an international customer.
Approximately 26 minutes after the launch, the satellite was successfully separated from the launch vehicle. According to data from the Xi’an Satellite Tracking and Control Center, the NigcomSat-1 satellite entered its pre-determined geostationary transfer orbit with an apogee of 41,951 km, a perigee of 209 km and an inclination of 25°.
Developed by the China Academy of Space Technology, a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the three-axis stabilized NigcomSat-1 satellite is based on the DFH-4 satellite platform and has a launch mass of 5,150 kg and a service life span of 15 years. It is equipped with 4 C-band, 14 Ku-band, 8 Ka-band and 2 L-band transponders.
The LM-3B launch vehicle was developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, a subsidiary of CASC. The launch marked not only the 98th flight of the Long March series of launch vehicles but also China's 56th consecutive successful launch since October 1996.
The satellite’s orbit will be altered several times until it is positioned at a longitude of 42 °E. Nigeria is expected to put the satellite into operation before the end of the year. The Nigcomsat-1 satellite program is expected to revolutionise telecommunications, broadcasting and broadband multimedia services in Africa.
The launch was part of the NigcomSat-1 satellite in-orbit delivery contract signed between Nigeria’s Space Research and Development Agency (NSRDA) and CGWIC on December 15, 2004.
NigcomSat-1 will play an important role in telecommunications, providing urban and rural telephony, trunking and relay services, mobile and paging services, corporate and VSAT networks, and inter-carrier services. It will also be used for broadcasting (high-definition TV and DTH services, multimedia, video streaming, and audio and sound services), internet and multimedia services (video conferencing, VPN solutions and VoIP protocols), real time monitoring services, navigation and global positioning coverage.