Sri Lanka launches satellite
The launching of 'Supreme SAT I' Communication satellite
Sri Lanka will step into a new era
when 'Supreme SAT I' satellite is launched from the
Xichang Satellite launching facility in China.
With the placing of 'Supreme SAT I' in
the Geo-Stationary orbit at 87.5 degrees East, Sri Lanka
will enter the exclusive club of nations that owns
satellites. The satellite will be operated for
commercial use.
Sri Lanka is the third South Asian
nation after India and Pakistan and the 45th in the
world to possess space technology and own a
communication satellite. The Supreme Group of Sri Lanka
in a joint venture with China Satellite Communications
Company Limited will operate the satellite. The
satellite is a product of Thales of France.
A satellite earth station will also be
set up in Pallekelle in Kandy by the operators. There
are plans to launch two more satellites in June 2013 and
December 2015. The company entered into an agreement
with the Board of Investment (BOI) to launch its own
communication satellite in Sri Lanka.
With the launching of the
communications satellite Sri Lanka will be able to
generate valuable foreign exchange and also save a large
amount of foreign exchange that Sri Lanka spends
annually to acquire satellite communication services.
The launching which was scheduled to
be carried out today has been delayed for five days due
to unfavourable weather conditions.
With the post war development
activities on full swing the country is poised for a
prosperous future. Since the end of the largest
humanitarian operations in recent history and the
ushering of peace, the country has seen a fast
development in the fields of science and technology. In
order to keep up with the ever changing world the
government has taken steps to encourage private sector
participation in the technological field. At present
there are a large number of state and private sector
companies involved in the information communication
field operating mobile communication services,
television and radio broadcasting. GIS, satellite
navigation, internet services and other related
services. |
