China Planning To Launch Communication Satellite

Chinese media reported on Saturday that the country is planning to build and launch a communications satellite for Laos.

According to an official at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), an agreement was signed Friday that said China would also build a satellite control center for Laos.

A Long March rocket will launch the Dongfang Hong model satellite, but there was no launch date specified.

China launched a Chinese-made satellite for the first time, built for Nigeria, in 2007.

The $257 million NigComSat-1 satellite failed after a year because of technical issues.  The satellite was launched to provide phone, broadband Internet and broadcasting services to rural Africa.

Beijing launched Venezuela’s first satellite in October 2008, which costs $241 million.

On Thursday, Bolivian President Evo Morales indicated that China had agreed to help Bolivia build and launch its first telecommunications satellites in the next three years.

The head of European aerospace giant Arianespace said in March this year that he was in "shock" that China had been chosen by Eutelsat Communications to launch a satellite, claiming it circumvented U.S. rules to prevent the export of sensitive materials to certain countries, including China.

"We do not dispute the price factor, even if we think that to penetrate the market, China offers prices which do not reflect economic reality," Arianespace chairman Jean-Yves Le Gall had said.