<p> Sri Lanka's first communication satellite developed by a private company was Tuesday launched by a Chinese state-owned firm from a space centre in China, Xinhua reported.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The satellite is a joint venture between Sri Lankan company SupremeSAT (Pvt) Ltd and China Great Wall Industry Corp. It was launched from the Xi Chang satellite launch centre in Sichuan province.<br /><br />The satellite, SupremeSAT-1, will provide communications services including broadband internet, telecom and broadcasting services to the Middle East, South and Central Asia and Australia.<br /><br />The launch was initially expected to take place Nov 22 but was postponed due to bad weather.<br /><br />The total investment for the project is estimated at $320 million. This includes the construction of a satellite Content Management Station and a Space Academy in Sri Lanka's central town of Kandy.<br /><br />"This is a proud moment for us as citizens of Sri Lanka," Vijith Peiris, group chief executive officer of SupremeSAT, was quoted as saying.<br /><br />With the successful launch, Sri Lanka became the 45th country to own a communication satellite and becomes the third south Asian country to have launched a satellite after India and Pakistan.<br /><br />The Sri Lankan Board of Investment entered into an agreement with SupremeSAT earlier this year to launch the satellite.<br /><br />The satellite will be positioned above Sri Lanka in a geo-stationary orbit at 87.5 degree east, approximately 36,000 km above the surface of the earth.<br /></p>
<p> Sri Lanka's first communication satellite developed by a private company was Tuesday launched by a Chinese state-owned firm from a space centre in China, Xinhua reported.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The satellite is a joint venture between Sri Lankan company SupremeSAT (Pvt) Ltd and China Great Wall Industry Corp. It was launched from the Xi Chang satellite launch centre in Sichuan province.<br /><br />The satellite, SupremeSAT-1, will provide communications services including broadband internet, telecom and broadcasting services to the Middle East, South and Central Asia and Australia.<br /><br />The launch was initially expected to take place Nov 22 but was postponed due to bad weather.<br /><br />The total investment for the project is estimated at $320 million. This includes the construction of a satellite Content Management Station and a Space Academy in Sri Lanka's central town of Kandy.<br /><br />"This is a proud moment for us as citizens of Sri Lanka," Vijith Peiris, group chief executive officer of SupremeSAT, was quoted as saying.<br /><br />With the successful launch, Sri Lanka became the 45th country to own a communication satellite and becomes the third south Asian country to have launched a satellite after India and Pakistan.<br /><br />The Sri Lankan Board of Investment entered into an agreement with SupremeSAT earlier this year to launch the satellite.<br /><br />The satellite will be positioned above Sri Lanka in a geo-stationary orbit at 87.5 degree east, approximately 36,000 km above the surface of the earth.<br /></p>