Venezuela celebrates successful launch of its first satellite

[Judi Lynn]

Venezuela celebrates successful launch of its first satellite
www.chinaview.cn 2008-10-30 12:31:17

CARACAS, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Venezuelan government hailed on Wednesday the successful launch of its first satellite "Simon Bolivar" or "Venesat-1" as part of a joint project with China that started three years ago.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said the launch marked the country's start in space exploration, and was a step ahead to the independence of Latin America and the Caribbean region in the scientific, technological and cultural fields.

The launch, taking place in the Satellites Launching Center of Xichang in southwest China's Sichuan Province at 1654 GMT, was watched by millions of Venezuelans through images from China Central Television (CCTV).

Chavez watched the broadcast of the launch at Luepa Station in southern Venezuela's Bolivar state. He said that the satellite will help eliminate the country's "satellite illiteracy", and contribute to the building of a multipolar world.

More:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-10/30/content_10279289.htm

[magbana]

1. IPS - VENEZUELA: Simon Bolivar in Orbit

http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44509

VENEZUELA: Simón Bolívar in Orbit
By Humberto Márquez

CARACAS, Oct 29 (IPS) - Venesat-1 Simón Bolívar was launched into
space Wednesday in China, making Venezuela the fourth Latin American
country with its own satellite, along with Argentina, Brazil and Mexico.

"This is an act of liberation," said President Hugo Chávez, after
watching the launch on a TV screen at a tracking station in Luepa, in
southeastern Venezuela. "We now have a socialist satellite, to build
socialism in our country and cooperate with and assist other nations."

At his side, Bolivian President Evo Morales, who stopped in Venezuela
on his way to the 18th Ibero-American summit, which opened Wednesday
in San Salvador, predicted that "telecommunications will no longer
only be a question of business, but a human right."

The Simón Bolívar satellite, named after the Latin American
independence hero, will circle the earth at an altitude of 36,000 km
in an orbit to which Uruguay has rights. Its 1,300 MHz signal will
reach from southern Mexico to central Argentina and Chile.

The project, partially financed by China, has cost 406 million
dollars, 241 million of which went towards the construction and launch
of the satellite and training of personnel, while the remaining 165
million went into two stations in the towns of El Sombrero in central
Venezuela and Luepa in the southeast, which will operate the system.

The aim "is to give a boost to social projects of the Bolivarian
revolution, for example in education and telemedicine, and to reduce
the costs of and streamline telecommunications systems," Minister of
Science and Technology Nurys Orihuela told reporters before heading to
China for the launch.

"We can administer voice, video and data, radio and television
broadcasting signals, the Internet, transmission and control of
banking processes or data that networks of researchers wish to share,"
she added.

Satellite-based communication networks in Venezuela have been
concentrated in the higher-income, more heavily populated northern
regions. But now the new satellite will cover the poorer southern regions.

Luis Holder, the head of the project, cited the example of a remote
district in the Orinoco river delta in the east, home to the Warao
Indians, whose 11,000 people will benefit from a distance education
programme and from telemedicine, which will make it possible for local
residents to consult specialists at the best hospitals in the country.

Orihuela said isolated villages on the border with Brazil or Colombia
will no longer have to depend on TV and radio programming from those
countries, but will now have easy access to programmes from Venezuela.

The first users of the new satellite will include the public station
Canal 8 and Telesur, the pan-Latin American TV channel based in Venezuela.

"By making it possible for us to launch a number of social programmes,
we are taking one more step towards independence and towards
socialism" with the launch of the satellite, said Chávez.

He added that "a satellite at the service of capitalism is launched to
make money, but Simón Bolívar will benefit development and the
integration of our people."

Chávez thanked Uruguay for donating the orbit, and, as he did the
evening before in Ecuador, he reiterated his offer to share the
benefits of the new satellite.

Under the agreement with Uruguay, in exchange for the orbit, that
country will receive 10 percent of the satellite's transmission
capacity as of 2009, which will enable it to expand the coverage of
its public station Canal 5, improve communications nationwide, and
provide Internet access to rural areas, at no cost at all.

The Andean nations -- Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela
-- which for decades hoped to launch a common satellite, first to be
named Cóndor and then Simón Bolívar, never disbursed sufficient funds,
and an orbit reserved to that end is now used by a Mexican satellite.

The Simón Bolívar was launched from the western Chinese province of
Sichuan at midnight local time (shortly after noon in Venezuela) by a
Chang Zheng (Long March) rocket.

It should reach its final orbit in 10 days, and in a month and a half
will begin to operate along with another 3,000 satellites that are
orbiting the earth.

The 5,100-kg satellite will be 28 metres wide once its solar panels
are deployed. It will have a useful life of 15 years.

Venezuela ruled out possible military or espionage uses. The satellite
"is transparent with respect to all of the information transmitted
through it and is not designed for interference or for monitoring
information," said Holder.

"It is a social project, and has nothing to do with espionage or
conflict," said Orihuela. (END/2008)

[Judi Lynn]

2. Tremendous information in this article. Hope that satellite makes it to final orbit

without someone sadistic President shooting it down.

Truly a big, BIG event. Hoping like hell no other country will sabotage this for the Venezuelans who can surely use it, put it to so many good purposes. Uruguay, too!

Thanks for sharing this wonderful article. It really, REALLY makes a person hope even more for their success. This is such a big step forward. It's just the beginning, too.

Congratulations, Venezuelans. Happy Satellite Day!

[roody]

4. Great news. May it be used for good.

This reminds me of something that happened in the "totalitarian dictatorship" of Cuba. I went to a presentation put on by the Federation of Women. Someone was extolling the virtues of solar power in remote regions of Cuba. Community centers have solar panels which power a television and educational projects. Behind the speaker was a tv playing a sexist music video. A band was made into tiny people and they were watching a woman take a shower and get ready to go out in a mini mini skirt. Of course they were so tiny they could look up her skirt. It was extremely provocative.

We WASPY gringas in the audience were shocked at the contradition. We must have seemed silly to the Cubanos.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Globovision refused to cover the satellite story, pushed the briefcase story, instead!

Patrick J. O'Donoghue's news and views from Venezuela -- October 30, 2008
Patrick J. O'Donoghue

2008-10-30 20:58:51 - Bolivian President, Evo Morales was a special guest of President Chavez yesterday to watch the launching of the Simon Bolivar satellite in China at noon Venezuelan time. Both presidents observed the launching from the Lupena tracking station in Venezuela's southeastern Bolivar State. Venezuela is the fourth Latin American country to have its own satellite and, Chavez proclaims, the satellite has given Venezuela a new leash of independence.

The opposition 24-hour TV news station, Globovision has been criticized for sidelining the launching of the satellite and giving greater prominence to the $800,000 briefcase trial in Miami. Government sources indicate that the scant coverage of the satellite launch coincides with Globovision's editorial line to downplay any government achievement and highlight all the negative aspects, big and small, that could embarrass the government. However, the main opposition newspapers, El Nacional and El Universal have given prominence to the satellite launching recognizing its news and historical value.

http://www.pr-inside.com/patrick-j-o-donoghue-s-news-and-r890405.htm

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Amazing, isn't it?