Túpac Katari 1orTKSat-1 is a telecommunications satellite that the governmentofBolivia 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 CenterinXichang, 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]
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 161 days from now.
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]
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Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ). | |
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