Islamabad: Pakistan is finally set to launch its telecommunication satellite, named PakSat 1R, on the eve of its next Independence Day, marking the 50th anniversary of the country's national space agency, Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO).
"The project of developing a locally-made satellite has been conducted with Chinese collaboration and now the time is ripe," a spokesman for the SUPARCO, told Gulf News.
Equipped with 26 transponders, to support the country's fledging telecommunication and TV channel industry, the satellite will replace the existing PakSat 1, facing a signal eclipse of 88 days in a year.
Pakistan rushed to avail of its last slot, which was at 38° East, on April 19, 2003, by acquiring a used Turkish satellite from Hughes.
The country's leaders had not make seven other slots in the orbit, booked in the 1980s.
Cost-effective solution
"In the crisis, Pakistanis would not only have a reliable backup, but also expect a cost-effective service telecom and broadcasting industries," Wahaj Us Siraj, an Islamabad-based leading telecom service provider told Gulf News.
He, however, did not seem pleased at the performance of the PakSat1.
He said the PakSat was nearing the end of its life and that its performance issues questioned its reliability for serious clients and whether it was of sufficient benefit for academic institutions.
