Angola loses first satellite, plans successor
Angola on 23 April confirmed the premature death of its first national telecoms satellite, Angosat-1, which was launched in December 2017 and was expected to have a working life of 15 years.
The Russian-made Angosat-1 struggled with repeated setbacks immediately after its launch from the Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan.
Contact with the satellite was soon lost and never recovered despite many attempts.
At a press conference in Luanda, Igor Frolov, a representative of manufacturer Energia RSC, said: ‘The satellite remained in orbit from December 26 to 30. After that we had a problem.’
Angolan Telecommunications Minister Jose Carvalho da Rocha immediately announced that the satellite would be replaced by a successor -- Angosat-2 -- under a new agreement with Russia.
‘Building will begin tomorrow at no cost to Angola... it will have more capacity and be more sophisticated than its predecessor,’ da Rocha said, adding it would be finished in 18 months.
The Angosat project was founded by Russia and Angola in 2009 and includes a control centre in a suburb of the Angolan capital Luanda.
Angosat-1 had been intended to improve satellite communication, internet access and broadcasting of radio and television across Africa.
Angola draws large revenue from its oil reserves but suffers extreme inequality with UNICEF calculating 38% of the population live in poverty.
More from Digital Battlespace
-
![Babcock nears first customer for Nomad AI translation tool]()
Babcock nears first customer for Nomad AI translation tool
Nomad can provide militaries with real-time intelligence, saving critical time on the battlefield.
-
![AUSA 2025: Israel’s Asio Technologies to supply hundreds of improved Taurus tactical systems]()
AUSA 2025: Israel’s Asio Technologies to supply hundreds of improved Taurus tactical systems
Taurus operates alongside the Israel Defense Forces’ Orion system which supports mission management across tens of thousands of manoeuvring forces, from squad leaders to battalion commanders.
-
![AUSA 2025: Kopin pushes micro-LED plans as China moves faster]()
AUSA 2025: Kopin pushes micro-LED plans as China moves faster
The plan for the new displays follows fresh investment in Kopin’s European facilities by Theon and an order for head-up displays in fielded aircraft, with funding from the US Department of Defense.
-
![AUSA 2025: Persistent Systems to complete its largest order by year’s end]()
AUSA 2025: Persistent Systems to complete its largest order by year’s end
Persistent Systems received its largest ever single order for its MPU5 devices and other systems earlier this month and has already delivered the 50 units to the US Army’s 4th Infantry Division.
-
![Aselsan brings in dozens of companies and systems under the Steel Dome umbrella]()
Aselsan brings in dozens of companies and systems under the Steel Dome umbrella
Turkey has joined the family of countries attempting to establish a multilayered air defence system with government approval in August 2024 for the effort landed by Aselsan. Dubbed Steel Dome, the programme joins Israel’s Iron Dome, the US Golden Dome, India’s Mission Sudarshan Chakra and South Korea’s low-altitude missile defence system.
-
![DSEI 2025: MARSS unveils new agnostic multidomain C4 system]()
DSEI 2025: MARSS unveils new agnostic multidomain C4 system
MARSS’ NiDAR system has been deployed using sensors from static platforms to provide detection and protection for static sights, such as critical infrastructure, ports and military bases.
