Govt to seek Chinese financing for replacing satellite

[LahoreEstate]

By Sajid Chaudhry


ISLAMABAD: To achieve a big success in national space programme, government of Pakistan has decided to approach China for arranging over $200 million financing for the replacement of PAKSAT-1 with a new communication satellite PAKSAT-1R by 2011.

A loan agreement is finalised that would be signed with China soon to make sure availability of required financing for launch of a new communication satellite PAKSAT-1R by 2011.

When contacted Federal Secretary Economic Affairs Division, Furrukh Qayyum told Daily Times that China would provide 85 percent of the total required financing of the project and government of Pakistan would arrange the rest. “The foreign exchange component of the project is estimated at just over $200 million that would be financed by China,” he added.

Federal Cabinet is expected to accord approval to a summary of Economic Affairs Division allowing it to sign a loan agreement with Peoples Republic of China.

The total cost of the project is Rs 17.594 billion with foreign exchange component of Rs 16.101 billion. The government has allocated Rs 2.8 billion for this project for the ongoing fiscal year 2009-10 with foreign exchange component of Rs 500 million.

Pakistan’s SUPARCO signed in October 2008 a contract with China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) for the on orbit delivery of the Paksat 1R communication satellite. The DFH-4 based satellite will have a service life of 15 years and will be launched in 2011 on a CZ-3B booster.

By the end of 2011, Pakistan plans to replace Paksat 1 with the new communication satellite Paksat-1R which will be manufactured exclusively for Pakistan. The satellite will support all conventional and modern Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) applications. The satellite will have a total of up to 30 transponders: 18 in Ku-band and 12 in C-band. To ensure high degree of reliability / availability of the system, two fully redundant Satellite Ground Control Stations (SGCS) would be established in Karachi and Lahore, one to act as the main and the other as backup respectively.

According to the details available with this scribe, projects relating to national space programme worth Rs 22.809 billion are already underway in the country and the government would allocate Rs 5.038 billion in 2009-10.

The government has identified and included six new projects worth Rs 15.858 billion of the national space programme in the PSDP and are expected to approve Rs 1.838 billion to kick-start such projects in next fiscal year 2009-10.

According to the details relating to six new projects, the government has decided to initiate project establishment of Pak-China Seismic Network in Pakistan worth Rs 250 million. The proposed allocation for this project is Rs 180.0 million for the next fiscal year.

The project development of CFIs to fly on board communication satellite Pak Sat-IR in Lahore worth Rs 388.740 million has been included in proposed PSDP and proposed allocation for this project is Rs 267.2 million for 2009-10.

The project worth Rs 426.185 million of development of various laboratories for national satellite development programme in Lahore is part of the new PSDP and proposed allocation for this is Rs 222.58 million for the upcoming fiscal year.

A new project development of logistic support facilities for national space programme worth Rs 333.264 million at Lahore has also been included in PSDP and proposed allocation for this project is Rs 211.25 million for 2009-10.

Important project of construction of New Gwadar International Airport worth Rs 7.500 billion being part of the PSDP is expected to get an allocation of Rs 750 million in 2009-10.

The project establishment of national electronics complex of Pakistan worth Rs 6.960 billion has been made part of the PSDP and allocation for this for the next fiscal year 2009-10 is proposed at Rs 200 million.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...2009_pg5_5