Angola declares first satellite dead

Angolan Minister of Telecommunications and Information Technologies Jose Carvalho da Rocha on Monday declared the first geostationary satellite of Angola (Angosat-1), to be dead.

At a news conference, the minister explained that there had been disturbances in its operation since the official launch.

Meanwhile, the minister also announced officially the construction of a new satellite, expected to be completed within one and half years.

Built in 2012, following an agreement signed between Angola and Russia in 2009, Angosat-1 cost over 300 million dollars.

The communications satellite was launched into orbit on the night of Dec. 26, and scheduled to work for 15 years.