Template:Infobox Spacecraft The PAKSAT-1R, commercially known as PAKSAT-1Replacement, is a Pakistan is a Geostationary and an advanced Communication satellite which is schedule to launch in 2011 for the replacement of PAKSAT-1 which is currently in a geostationary orbit at 38° east.[1] Known as Project-Paksat-IR, it is the first locally built satellite by scientists and engineers from Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission under the technical guidance and financial assistance from counterpart China National Space Administration of People's Republic of China (PRC).
It carries communications payload to facilitate the introduction of a range of new services, including broadband Internet, digital television broadcasting, remote and rural telephony, emergency communications, tele-education and tele-medicine. The satellite is expected to have 15 years lifespane, and will be operated from Suparco Satellite Ground Station
|
Main articles: Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission § History, and PAKSAT |
The research in space programme at the Punjab University, following the successful launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957. In 1961, Military Government of Pakistan led by Field Marshal Ayub Khan established the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) under the advice of Abdus Salam. Since then, the research activities were began as series of rocket testing began. In 1986, Suparco developed the first locally and ingeniously built Badr-I, that was launched in 1990 by People's Republic of China.
In 1st February of 1996, Suparco attained Palapa C1 as PAKSAT-1. After an anomaly in the electrical system of the satellite on 24 November 1998 and the failure of a module for controlling the hydro accumulators, the Hughes Global Services (HGS) had taken over on the HS-601 satellite bus. The HGS managed to developed and implementation of a strategy that allowed the continued use of the satellite in geostationary orbit without too much restrictions. Eventually by Pakistan as a PAKSAT-1 satellite is currently leased to a location at 38° East in geostationary orbit since April 2004 and be active. In 2012, the satellite will be inactive and will be decommission from its services.
Although the satellite is underdeveloped in China, a prototype of PAKSAT-IR was developed at the Suparco Lahore Center for Research and Development (LCRD).[2] The project was aimed to enhance the know-how of young scientists and engineers about communication satellite engineering.[2] Prototype PakSat-1R is a communication satellite, which has three C-band Transponders as the communication payload. All the subsystems have been designed and developed indigenously.[2] Integration and testing have also been performed. Suparco reported that the project was completed in three years.[2]