Alcomsat-1 is the first

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

n communications

satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotope ...

. It was carried by Chinese launcher Long March 3B from the

Xichang Satellite Launch Center The Xichang Satellite Launch Center (XSLC), also known as the Xichang Space Center, is a spaceport of China. It is located in Zeyuan Town (), approximately northwest of Xichang, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan. The facility beca ...

, located in

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

Province, 2,200 km southwest of

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. The satellite was launched on 10 December 2017 and is designed for 15 years operational lifetime. It is a partnership between

Algerian Space Agency The Algerian Space Agency (ASAL; french: Agence spatiale algérienne, links=, lit=, translit=, label=, ar, الوكالة الفضائية الجزائرية, links=, lit=, translit=Al-Wakāla al-Faḍā’iyya al-Jazā’iriyya), was establi ...

(ASAL) and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. It is dedicated to telecommunications, television broadcasting and internet.

Operations

The satellite was developed by the Chinese Academy of Space Technology (CAST) and is based on the DFH-4 platform. Its communications payload is composed of 33 operational transponders (19 in Ku band, 12 in Ka band and 2 in L band). The satellite will operate for 15 years on the geosynchronous orbit. Launch mass was around . The DFH-4 (DongFangHong-4) platform is a large telecommunications satellite platform of the next generation. It provides high capability in output power and communication capacity ranking with international advanced satellite platforms. The applications for the DFH-4 platform are not limited to high capacity broadcast communication satellites and it can be used as a tracking and data relay satellite, regional mobile communication satellite, etc. The platform comprises propulsion module, service module and a solar array system. It has a payload capacity of 588 kg and an output power of 10.5 kW by the end of its lifetime. Its reliability by the end of its lifetime is more than a 0.78 industry ratio. The platform is equipped with 22 Ku-band transponders (four 54 MHz and eighteen 36 MHz), three receiver antennas, and two transmission antennas. The DFH-4 can support the transmission of 150~200 TV programs simultaneously to ground users using a 0.45 meter antenna device. The DFH-4 satellite also features strong capabilities against hostile disturbance and jamming. The satellite's power supply includes two 6 meter solar panels.

Control centers

The Alcomsat-1 satellite system is managed by two control and operation centers: the Space Telecommunications Systems Exploitation Center (CESTS) in Bouchaoui –

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...

, and the Space Telecommunications Operations Center (COTS) of

Boughezoul Boughezoul is a town and commune in Médéa Province, Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordin ...

–

Médéa Médéa ( ber, Lemdiyyet, ar, المدية ''al-Madiya''), population 123,535 (1998 census) is the capital city of Médéa Province, Algeria. It is located roughly 68 km south of Algiers. The present-day city is situated on the site of ...

, which are responsible for monitoring from ground stations, in continuous operation, the state of health of the satellite, and for managing multimedia applications.

References

External links

AlSAT-1 Info

Algerian Space Agency information on Alsat-1
{{Orbital launches in 2017 Spacecraft launched in 2017 Communications satellites Satellites of Algeria 2017 in Algeria

Operations

Control centers

See also

References

External links