Túpac Katari 1

(Also known as Tupac Katari Túpac Katari or 1) TKSat -1 is a commercial communications satellite of the Agencia Boliviana Espacial ( ABE). He is the first Bolivian communications satellite and was named after the revolutionary Tupaq Katari (* 1750, † 1781) named.

He was taken on December 20, 2013 at 16:42 UTC with a launcher of the type Long March 3B / E of LC2 launch complex of the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in geostationary orbit. The ground stations for control by Bolivian Space Agency ABE are in El Alto in La Paz and in the village of La Guardia in Tieflanddepartamento Santa Cruz. They are operated by Bolivian experts who have been trained in China, the handover on 28 December 2013.

The funding of about 300 million U.S. dollars expensive satellite borne by the Bolivian government and a loan from China Development Bank. Previously, government, media and telecommunications companies rent channels for data traffic from foreign providers. Are to benefit from space technology, especially residents in the country. In remote areas and difficult terrain have many communities no telephone, radio or television. Article 20 of Bolivia's constitution guarantees the right to communicate. Income from rentals to companies and countries should flow back into the state treasury.

The three -axis stabilized satellite is equipped with 26 Ku-band, two C-band and 2 Ka - band transponders and will provide the position of 87.2 ° West0 - 87.2 from South America with telecommunications services and television. It was built on the basis of the DFH -4 satellite bus of the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST ) and has a design life of 15 years. The contract for the construction and launch of the satellite was closed on 13 December 2010 between the China Great Wall Industry Corporation ( CGWIC ) and the Agencia Boliviana Espacial.