China yesterday agreed to launch a satellite for Nigeria in 2011 to replace the African country's defunct communications satellite.

China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) president Yin Liming said the new Nigerian Communication Satellite 1R (NIGCOMSAT-1R) will be launched from a Long March 3B vehicle at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province in the fourth quarter of 2011.

China will not charge Nigeria for the replacement satellite, which is designed to remain operational for 15 years, he said.

The defunct NIGCOMSAT-1 stopped operating because the solar array drive assembly failed, Yin said at the signing ceremony.

NIGCOMSAT-1 was launched in May 2007 and handed over to Nigeria that July. But it stopped working in orbit on Nov 11, 2008.

After the failure, the corporation undertook emergency measures and investigated the cause. The probe had remained entirely open to the Nigerian side, which was provided with results in a timely fashion, he said.

Nigerian Communications Satellite Ltd president Ahmed Rufai called the Chinese response to the satellite failure "commendable".

"In-orbit satellite failures happened in Europe and North American, too China won the bid for (its) superiority, both technically and commercially, and we are confident that NIGCOMSAT-1R will be successful," he said.

The agreement signed in Beijing yesterday is expected to strengthen the relationship between the two companies and between China and Nigeria, he said.

(China Daily March 25, 2009)