The signing ceremony for the contract for in-orbit delivery of the NigcomSat-1R satellite was held in Beijing on March 24, 2009. Dr. Alhassan Bako Zaku, Nigerian Minister for Federal Science and Technology, Mr. T. Ahmed-Rufai, Managing Director and CEO of Nigerian Communication Satellite Ltd. (NigComSat Ltd.) and Mr. Yin Liming, President of China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC), were present to sign the contract.
The NigcomSat-1R satellite will be based on the Dongfanghong-4 (DFH-4) satellite platform developed by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). Fitted with a total of 28 transponders ( 8 Ka-band, 14 Ku-band, 4 C-band and 2 L-band), the satellite will be positioned over the equator at a longitude of 42.5°E, and has a design life span of 15 years.
The satellite will replace an earlier satellite, NigcomSat-1, which failed in orbit in November 2008 after running out of power due to a fault with its solar array. The contract signed today stipulates that NigcomSat-1R will be launched in the fourth quarter of 2011 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre (XSLC) on a LM-3B/E launch vehicle developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), another CASC subsidiary.