Venezuela Signs Third Satellite Deal with China

DHF 4 bus, which was used for the VeneSat 1 satellite. Photo: China Great Wall Industry Corporation

[Via Satellite 10-07-2014] The Venezuelan government has signed a new agreement with China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC), China’s state-owned sole commercial satellite launch service provider, to build and deliver into orbit the country’s third satellite, according to Xinhua, China’s state-run media agency. The satellite will be named after the independence hero Antonio Jose de Sucre, but no details were revealed in terms of costs and specific timeframe for the project.

Venezuela’s first satellite, a telecommunications satellite, was launched from China in 2008 and named after independence leader Simon Bolivar. The Latin American nation’s second satellite, a remote sensing satellite, was also delivered into space from China in 2012 and named after the independence hero Francisco de Miranda.