VENESAT-1

Additional information VENESAT-1

Venesat-1, also known as Simón Bolívar, is the first Venezuelan satellite. It was designed, built, launched, controlled and monitored by the CGWIC subsidiary of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. It is a communications satellite, which will be operated from a geosynchronous orbit. It was launched on a Chinese Long March 3B carrier rocket, from LA-2 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre, at 16:53 UTC on 29 October 2008.Venesat-1 will be operated by Venezuela's Ministry of Science and Technology. It carries 12 G-band (IEEE's C band) and 14 J-band (IEEE Ku band) transponders. It has a mass of 5,100 kilograms (11,200 lb), and an expected service life of 15 years. It is based on the DFH-4 satellite bus. The satellite occupies an orbital slot, 78-West, designated for Uruguay and ceded to Venezuela by mutual accord.