NigComSat-1
NigComSat-1 was a Nigerian communication satellite. The initial contract to build the satellite was signed in 2004. It became the third African geosynchronous communication satellite, when it was launched at 16:01 UTC on 13 May 2007, aboard a Chinese Long March 3B carrier rocket, from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in China. The spacecraft was operated by Nigerian Communications Satellite Ltd (NIGCOMSAT). On November 11, 2008, NigComSat-1 failed in orbit after running out of power due to an anomaly in its solar array.
| Mission type | Communication |
|---|---|
| Operator | NIGCOMSAT |
| COSPAR ID | 2007-018A |
| SATCAT no. | 31395 |
| Mission duration | Planned: 15 years Achieved: 18 months |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | DFH-4 |
| Manufacturer | CGWIC |
| Launch mass | 5,150 kilograms (11,350 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 13 May 2007, 16:01 UTC |
| Rocket | Long March 3B |
| Launch site | Xichang |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Failed |
| Last contact | 11 November 2008 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Geostationary |
| Longitude | 42.5° East[1] |
| Perigee altitude | 35,782 kilometres (22,234 mi)[1] |
| Apogee altitude | 35,789 kilometres (22,238 mi)[1] |
| Inclination | 0.1 degrees[1] |
| Period | 24 hours |
Launch
The satellite, which is the third Nigerian satellite to be placed into orbit, was launched into a geosynchronous transfer orbit and subsequently it was successfully inserted into a geosynchronous orbit, positioned at 42.5oE. It had a launch mass of 5,150 kg, and had an expected service life of 15 years.
Specifications
It was based on the Chinese DFH-4 satellite bus, and carries a variety of transponders:
Its design was to provide coverage to many parts of Africa on C-band and Ku-band, a global navigation beam on L-band and the Ka-band transponders with spot beams over Nigeria, South Africa and Europe.
China's satellite export business
NigcomSat-1 represented a milestone for China's satellite export business. For the first time the China Great Wall Industry Corporation provided all aspects of in-orbit delivery of a satellite to an international customer. This included satellite manufacture, launch services, ground station construction, project financing, insurance and training.[2]
Failure and replacement
On 10 November 2008 (0900 UTC), the satellite was reportedly switched off for analysis and to avoid a possible collision with other satellites. According to Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited, it was put into "emergency mode operation in order to effect mitigation and repairs".[3] The satellite eventually failed after losing power on 11 November 2008.
On March 24, 2009, the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, NigComSat Ltd. and CGWIC signed a further contract for the in-orbit delivery of the NigComSat-1R satellite. NigComSat-1R also uses the DFH-4 satellite platform with improvements over the previous satellite, and was delivered in the fourth quarter of 2011 as a replacement for the failed NigComSat-1. It was successfully launched on December 19, 2011.[4]
References
- Encyclopedia Astronautica - CZ-3B Archived 2008-03-19 at the Wayback Machine
- "CGWIC News". CGWIC.
- "'Technical problems' shut down Nigerian satellite". AFP. 2008-11-12. Archived from the original on 2011-01-04.
- "Nigcomsat-1 Program --- In-Orbit Delivery Program --- Communications Satellite --- CGWIC". www.cgwic.com. Retrieved 2020-08-11.