First Made-In-Argentina Satellite Reaches Permanent Orbit

Arsat-1, the first made-in-Argentina telecommunications satellite, completed over the weekend the last of five apogee maneuver firings that put it into its definitive geostationary orbit, operator Arsat told Efe Monday.

The 3-ton satellite, with a projected lifespan of 15 years, now orbits at an altitude of 35,736 kilometers and will support telephone, television and data transmissions in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay.

Arsat-1, launched Oct. 16 from French Guiana atop an Arianespace Ariane-5 rocket, is controlled from the Benavidez Ground Station in northern Buenos Aires province.

Though in its permanent orbit, Arsat-1 is not yet operational, as the process of deploying solar panels and extending the antenna will take a few months, sources at Arsat said.

The Argentine Geostationary Satellites Telecommunications System envisions the construction and launch of two additional satellites.

Published in Latino Daily News