China will launch Bolivia’s first telecommunications satellite, Tupac Katari, into orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in China’s Sichuan province in December 2013.
The satellite’s manufacturing process has been completed in China and scientists from both countries are working on the final design, which is expected to be completed by March 2013. Named after a Bolivian indigenous leader, the Tupac Katari satellite will be completed by next December if there is no divergence among the parts.
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Previously, the Bolivian Space Agency and the Great Wall Industry of China, a subsidiary of Aerospace Science and Technology of China, had signed an agreement in December 2010 for the launch of the satellite. Under the agreement, China agreed to provide technology and guarantee the quality of the satellite.
The device will help Bolivia improve internet access and communications in remote rural areas as well as help the country to implement education, health and weather monitoring projects. The Tupac Katari satellite will have the same maximum capacity as the DFH-4 model that will enable it to cover not only Bolivia but also the whole of Latin America.
In addition, Bolivia will build two Earth receiving stations located on the Tiwanaku Plateau in La Paz province and in La Guardia, Santa Cruz province. The reports said that the Tupac Katari satellite project was estimated to be worth about $300m, of which the South American country will provide about $45m while the other $250m will funded by a loan from the China Development Bank.
According to reports Bolivia will be the sixth country in Latin America to possess its own satellite, following Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina and Chile.
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By GlobalData
