Satellite for Nigeria

China successfully launched a communications satellite for Nigeria on Tuesday to replace a defunct satellite that was developed by China's space industry but failed in orbit in 2008.

Nigerian Communication Satellite-1R lifted off on top of a Long March 3B launch vehicle from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Southwest China's Sichuan province at 00:41 am on Tuesday.

It is the fourth communications satellite delivered in orbit by China's space industry for international customers, said China Great Wall Industry Corporation.

It will replace Nigerian Communication Satellite-1, which failed in orbit due to the malfunction of a solar array deployment assembly in November 2008, some 18 months after it was launched. The satellite had been designed to work for at least 15 years.

The new satellite, with coverage for Central, Western and Southern Africa, Central and Eastern parts of Europe, and some areas of mid-Asia, will be mainly used for communications, broadcasting, education, broadband multimedia service and navigation service, reports said.

So far, China has conducted 33 commercial launches for international customers, putting 39 satellites into orbit.