<p>China today successfully launched Sri Lanka's first ever communication satellite which would provide a host of services to the country including Internet.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The Supreme Sat I was launched at 1543 hours local time from Xichang space centre in China's Sichuan province<br /><br />The launch was done by SupremeSAT, a private company in collaboration with China's state-owned China Great Wall Industry Corporation, Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency reported.<br /><br />Sri Lanka would be second South Asian country after Pakistan, whose satellites has been launched by China.<br /><br />The USD 320 million satellite would start functioning from January. Sri Lanka has become the 45th country in the world to launch a communications satellite.<br /><br />Rohitha Rajapaksa, the youngest son of the Sri Lankan President played a key role in the launch which is a Sri Lanka-China joint venture.<br /><br />SupremeSAT said that the satellite will be capable of providing communications services, including broadband Internet, telecom and broadcasting services to the Middle East, South and Central Asia and Australia.<br /><br />"This is a proud moment for us as citizens of Sri Lanka," Vijith Peiris, group chief executive officer of SupremeSAT, said in a statement.<br /><br />The Sri Lankan Board of Investment entered into an agreement with SupremeSAT earlier this year to launch the communications satellite for Sri Lanka.<br /><br />The satellite will be positioned above Sri Lanka in the geo- stationary orbit approximately 36,000 km above the surface of the earth.<br /><br />China has been strengthening its relations with Sri Lanka providing a lot of aid and infrastructure support including developing ports and road networks much to the disquiet of New Delhi as Beijing looks to get a firm foothold in Indian Ocean, regarded as India's backyard.</p>
<p>China today successfully launched Sri Lanka's first ever communication satellite which would provide a host of services to the country including Internet.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The Supreme Sat I was launched at 1543 hours local time from Xichang space centre in China's Sichuan province<br /><br />The launch was done by SupremeSAT, a private company in collaboration with China's state-owned China Great Wall Industry Corporation, Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency reported.<br /><br />Sri Lanka would be second South Asian country after Pakistan, whose satellites has been launched by China.<br /><br />The USD 320 million satellite would start functioning from January. Sri Lanka has become the 45th country in the world to launch a communications satellite.<br /><br />Rohitha Rajapaksa, the youngest son of the Sri Lankan President played a key role in the launch which is a Sri Lanka-China joint venture.<br /><br />SupremeSAT said that the satellite will be capable of providing communications services, including broadband Internet, telecom and broadcasting services to the Middle East, South and Central Asia and Australia.<br /><br />"This is a proud moment for us as citizens of Sri Lanka," Vijith Peiris, group chief executive officer of SupremeSAT, said in a statement.<br /><br />The Sri Lankan Board of Investment entered into an agreement with SupremeSAT earlier this year to launch the communications satellite for Sri Lanka.<br /><br />The satellite will be positioned above Sri Lanka in the geo- stationary orbit approximately 36,000 km above the surface of the earth.<br /><br />China has been strengthening its relations with Sri Lanka providing a lot of aid and infrastructure support including developing ports and road networks much to the disquiet of New Delhi as Beijing looks to get a firm foothold in Indian Ocean, regarded as India's backyard.</p>