NigComSAT 1-R rewrites Nigeria’s space history – Rufai

With the launch of the replacement Nigerian Communication Satellite (NigComSAT 1-R) in China, the chief executive officer of NigComSAT Limited, Timasaniyu Ahmed Rufai, has reassured that it would rewrite the history of the country in the space industry.

ITRealms Online recalls that NigComSAT 1-R)  was launched Monday, December 19, 2011 by 5pm local time..

While speaking on the launch potentials for the country, Ahmed-Rufai, noted that Nigcomsat 1R is a replacement satellite of Nigcomsat 1 which was deorbited on November 10,2008 due to solar array problem. He said that NigComSAT1-R built by China Great Wall Industries Corporation{CGWIC}, thus a replacement satellite at no cost to Nigeria. As said by him, the launch was to boost Nigeria’s Global Competitive Index (GDI) ranking as the services will offer telecommunications, broadcast, broadband internet among other customers to greatly enhance the country’s race to achieve the Vision 20:2020 goals of President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda.

He also said that NIGCOMSAT Limited was incorporated as a limited liability company in April 2006 and charged with the  responsibility to operate and manage NigComSAT starting with NigComSat-1 which was launched May 2007 and de-orbited after 18 months.

A replacement satellite, NigComSat-1R, he pointed out, has the same features but with a few modifications as NigComSat-1.

NigComSat-1R, according to him is the second Nigerian Communication satellite, placed into a geosynchronous orbit and positioned at 42.5oE.

“It has a launch mass of 5,100 kg, and has an expected service life of 15 years. Meaning that by 2026 Nigeria will have to launch a new satellite in the same orbital slot,” he explained.

Further, he said, the satellite will provide Ku-band, C-band, Ka-band and navigation payloads capability. Even as the Ku-band payload will have 14 operational channels; 2 fixed beams over Western and Eastern Africa.

The C-band payload, Rufai said, will have four channels with coverage of Western Africa.

Whereas the Ka-band payload, he said, will have eight channels providing communications using three fixed spot beams over Europe, South Africa and Nigeria for trunking services and broadcasting.

Rufai emphasized that the navigation payload will receive two uplink signals at C-band covering Nigeria and Europe, and transmit same downlink signals at L-band, L1 and L5, using a global coverage.

The spacecraft, he said, has been designed such that each Radio Frequency (RF) channel would meet the specified requirements, work well throughout its service life including eclipse conditions and also work well with allowance for degradation, wear-out and radiation damage.

NIGCOMSAT has over 200 trained and equipped engineers and a well established ground control station at Abuja, the nation’s capital with a backup station at Kashi, China for the spacecraft tracking and control; payloads management and technology customisations as well as domestication.

Remmy Nweke

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