Túpac Katari 1 or TKSat-1 is a telecommunications satellite that the government of Bolivia outsourced to People's Republic of China (PRC) to serve telecommunications in Bolivia, such as mobile, television and Internet use.[1]

It was launched into orbit on 20 December 2013 from the Satellite Launch Center in Xichang, China,[2] with a trial period of a little over three months, and commercial operation starting in March 2014.[3]

It was built on behalf of the Bolivian Space Agency. The China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC), a subsidiary of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), was responsible for the construction (using French, German and USA technology), launch and orbit of the satellite.[4][5]

The satellite is named after 18th century Bolivian independence activist Túpac Katari.[6]

Technical issues

The satellite is geostationary and parked at 87.2° W, at a distance of 36,000 kilometers from equator;[7] two-way voice communications are subject to latency.

The estimated useful life is 15 years;[8] having been launched in 2013, it should be deactivated in 2028, or −4 years and 357 days from now.

Cost and revenue

The satellite had a cost of around $300 million, of which $251 million was a loan from the China Development Bank (CDB) to the government of Bolivia, and the rest was paid by the government of Bolivia.[9]

From launch to August 2017, the satellite generated revenue of $60 million. The Bolivian Space Agency said the satellite was not a business, but instead its purpose was to increase access to communications. Running expenses were not disclosed.[10]

See also

References

  1. "Satélite Túpac Katari captará por año $us 40 millones para el país". FmBolivia. 14 January 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2013. (in Spanish)
  2. ""Túpac Katari" el satélite boliviano". Semana. 20 December 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2013. (in Spanish)
  3. "Satélite Túpac Katari está protegido con un seguro de $us 200 millones". La Razón. 13 November 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2013. (in Spanish)
  4. "Morales viajará a China para lanzamiento del satélite Túpac Katari". Los Tiempos. 27 November 2013. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2013. (in Spanish)
  5. "Bolivia hails Túpac Katari satellite launch". Rapid TV News. 27 December 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  6. "Bolivian satellite in orbit after successful launch from China". Spaceflight Now. 20 December 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  7. "Agencia Boliviana Espacial". 2015-05-23. Archived from the original on 2015-05-23. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
  8. "Agencia Boliviana Espacial". 2015-05-23. Archived from the original on 2015-05-23. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
  9. "Evo Morales viajará a China para el lanzamiento del satélite Tupac Katari". Página Siete. 27 November 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2013. (in Spanish)
  10. "Satélite Túpac Katari: ¿Cuánto ha producido desde su lanzamiento?". Bolivia.com (in Spanish). August 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2017.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.