Now that NigComSAT-1R is here!

The replaced Nigerian Communications Satellite (NigComSAT-1R) was launched last December, REMMY NWEKE reports that now the satellite has returned to orbit, the government must have the political will to push for full commercialisation.

Fulfilled NigComSAT-1R

The much taunted replacement satellite of the Nigerian Communications Satellite-1 has returned successfully to the space with the launch on Monday, December 19, evening.

From China where the Long March 3B (LM-3B) launch vehicle from Xichang Satellite Launch Centre, located in South West China was conducted as at 5.41pm.

ITRealms Online recalls that NigComSat-1R formal launch was in fulfillment of the Chinese company’s promise to replace NigComSat-1, which was de-orbited due to malfunctioning of Solar Array Deployment Assembly (SADA) on November 10, 2008.

Confirming this to ITRealms Online, the Deputy General Manager, Corporate Communications, Mr. Sonny Aragba-Akpore said that the spacecraft entered the predefined orbit of perigee being 200 kilometres (km), apogee 41991 km and inclination 24.8, noting that NigComSAT-1R is the fourth in-orbit delivery contract signed by China Space with its international customers.

The 18^th CGWIC deal:

He also said that the launch was conducted in line with the NigComSat-1R contract signed between the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) and China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC), a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).

He noted that NigComSat-1R spacecraft is built on Dong Fang Hong 4 (DFH-4) satellite bus developed by China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) and launched by LM-3B launch vehicle, developed by China Academy of Launch Vehicle (CALT).

China Satellite Launch Tracking and Control General (CLTC), he said, is providing tracking, control and ground segment support for the programme, just as NigComSat-1R is the 8th satellite built on the DFH-4 bus for in-orbit delivery and the NigComSat-1R launch is the 18^th flight of LM-3B launch vehicle and the 154^th flight in the series of the Long March launchers.

Knowledge Transfer

The project, he said, was carried out in conjunction with over 50 NigcomSAT engineers who spent the last 31 months in China, just as the satellite has service lifespan of over 15 years and was designed to meet the needs of telecommunications, maritime, defense, broadcast media in Africa, particularly Nigeria, parts of Europe and Asia.

An elated Managing Director, NigcomSAT Limited, Mr. Timasaniyu Ahmed-Rufai declared “this is mission fulfilled,” adding that NigComSAT1-R has 28 active transponders and quad band of Ku, ka, C-Band and L-band.

He also said that there are two ground stations located in Abuja, Nigeria and Kashi, China owned by NigComSAT which participated fully in the launch.

Top government officials that witness the launch included the Communications Technology, Minister, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, her Science and Technology counterpart, Prof. Okon Ewa Bassey, chairman, Senate Committee on Communications, Senator Gilbert Nnaji, House members, NigComSAT 1R project Director  and Executive Director, Marketing, Abimbola Alale and Chief Executive of LASACO Insurance Plc, Mr. Sola Ladipo-Ajayi among others.

Ghana orders for NigComSAT-1R transponders

And with the disclosure that NigComSAT-1R covers of over 40 African countries in the orbit, days after launch started to attract the commercial attention it deserved with Ghana leading the queue to have access to the services of the replaced Nigerian Communication Satellite (NigComSAT-1R) launched last month in China, with Ghana already ordered for two transponders.

A communications satellite’s transponder is the series of interconnected units which form a communications channel between the receiving and the transmitting antennas.

A transponder is composed of an input band limiting device known as a band pass filter, in addition to having an input low-noise amplifier (LNA), designed to amplify the normally very weak, because of the large distances involved signals received from the earth station. Even as it’s a frequency translator; normally composed of an oscillator and a frequency mixer and used to convert the frequency of the received signal to the frequency required for the transmitted signal.

Experts at Wikipedia, an online open source encyclopedia explained that most communication satellites are radio relay stations in orbit, and carry dozens of transponders, each with a bandwidth of tens of megahertz. Most transponders operate on a “bent pipe” principle, sending back to earth of what goes into the conduit with only amplification and a shift from uplink to downlink frequency.

Internet surfing without tears

Confirming this at a maiden media interaction after the launch of NigComSAT-1R, the chief executive officer, NigComSAT, Mr. Timasaniyu Ahmed-Rufai, said that Ghana and Congo are some of the countries on the continent keenly interested on receiving service offering from NigComSAT, just as Ghana has asked for two transponders.

He noted that the replacement satellite is of no cost to Nigeria, while the commercialization potential of NigComSAT extends beyond the current 40 African coverage to China and Asia as well as Europe among others.

NigComSAT, Ahmed-Rufai said, is specifically for Africa and has been globally positioned, adding that talks are on with MainOne, a cable company in Nigeria to enter into partnership with NigComSAT through deployment of its services and compliment the efforts of MainOne in extending broadband availability to homes in the country.

Ahmed-Rufai who was accompanied at the session by the Executive Director, Marketing, Ms Bimbola Alale, Head, Legal Services, Ms Alima Udoye and General Manager, Corporate Strategy and Planning, Mr. Olabode Oroge, said that Nigerians are fully in control of the recently launched satellite which arrived its orbital home successfully on December 27, 2011, which is approximately seven days or 168 hours after it was launched, stressing that it will remain there in the next 15 years plus when its lifespan is expected to expire, just as the partnership with MainOne, would usher into homes ‘Internet surfing without tears.”

He underscored the fact that the satellite was built on a DFH-4 platform and was successfully launched on a Long March 3B/E launch vehicle into the geo-transfer orbit (GTO) on Monday, December 19, 2011 at exactly 5.41pm local time, from Xichang satellite launch centre in China.

As said by him, following the separation of the satellite from the launch vehicle, the satellite was injected into the geo-transfer orbit and subsequently began its journey to the final orbital position of 42.5degree East in the GEO-stationary orbit.

Final Orbiting of NigComSAT-1R

“This operation is referred to as Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) operations of the satellite lasted for one week with about five orbital maneuvers carried out successfully,” he said, maintaining that the satellite was placed in its final orbital position of 42.5 degrees East at exactly 00:58 GMT, on Tuesday, December,27, 2011.

He said that the satellite now positioned, is within the view of the two NigComSat ground control centres based in Lugbe, Abuja and Kashi in China respectively, of which NigComSat-1R is now monitored and controlled from the Abuja ground station; where the data from the satellite are presently being received real-time.

Hence, he said that In-Orbit Testing (IOT) has commenced and will last another 40 days from the date of arrival at orbital home, before commercial activities could take off, to ensure that the tests satellite conform with the design requirements.

“Upon the successful completion of IOT, it is expected that commercial services shall commence in the first week of February 2012. In anticipation of this, the Direct-to-Home (DTH) platform, broadband Internet services and other services are being prepared for hosting on the satellite as soon as commercial activities flag off,” he said.

Now, NigComSAT-1R is here!

The truth of the matter now is that NigComSAT-1R is here, no doubt, but the fact remains that its commercialization positively could spur further job creation for the country, apart from uplifting Nigeria’s position among the satellite nations of the world.

The political will of the government, especially now that NigComSAT is under the Ministry of Communications Technology, led by Mrs. Omobola Johnson should be at the utmost level, so as to ensure that before NigComSAT-1R expires in some 15 years ahead, Nigeria may have made its mark with the benefits visibly trickles down to the masses of this country.

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