Le satellite Venesat-1 a été lancé à des fins exclusivement civiles, à 12H20 locales (16H50 GMT) depuis le centre spatial chinois de Xichang, dans la province du Sichuan (sud-ouest), selon des images diffusées en direct par la chaîne de télévision officielle vénézuélienne (VTV).
First Venezuelan Telecommunications Satellite Launched from China The first Venezuelan telecommunications satellite was launched today from the Chinese city of Sichuan. The satellite, named after Latin American independence Hero Simon Bolivar, was built by China at a cost of 406 million dollars and it is expected to bring important benefits to the social, cultural and education development of Venezuela.
The launch of Simon Bolivar Venesat I Satellite, a Venezuelan communication satellite for the development of communications and other sectors, seems to be going in a direction of creating a South American and Caribbean space agency. Venesat I Satellite, to be sent to space from China on November 1.
30 Venezuelan scientists are going to China to begin work on Venezuela's first satellite - the first step on the way to a national space programme. President Hugo Chavez has earmarked around £287million to get the space agency off the ground in 2007. The scientists will be joined by another 60 next year to build the satellite along with China. Venezuela's government hopes to use it to broadcast many of its own radio and TV programmes throughout Latin America. The Simon Bolivar satellite, named after the Venezuelan independence hero, is supposed to be launched into space in July 2008. Mr Chavez wants the satellite to be blasted into orbit from a Venezuelan launch pad.
The satellite will provide telecommunications services to all parts of Venezuela, including scarcely populated areas that have never been reached by commercial communications firms. The ministry said the satellite will also help in the early detection of natural disasters and be used to broadcast educational and information programs.