VENESAT 1 (Simon Bolivar 1)

Launch data: Designation  33414 / 08055A Launch date  29 Oct 2008 - 16:54 UT Launch site  Xichang Launch vehicle  CZ-3B Mission  Communications Geostationary orbit: Perigee / Apogee  35784 x 35788 km Eccentricity   Inclination  0.0 deg Period  1436.1 min

Spacecraft data:

Description:

• Under an agreement signed in November 2005, the China Great Wall Industry Corp was contracted to design, manufacture, test and put into orbit the VENESAT-1 for Venezuela. The satellite will help Venezuela develop its telecommunications, film and TV industries, culture and education. VENESAT-1 is also called the "Simon Bolivar Satellite," named after the Caracas-born South American independence hero, the Liberator of Five Republics.

Mission details:

• Venezuela's first satellite, VENESAT-1 or 'Simon Bolivar', was launched from Xichang in China on Oct 29, 2008 aboard a Chang Zheng 3B rocket. The satellite is a DFH-4 class bus built by CAST/Beijing and carries C-band and Ku-band transponders; it has a mass of around 5100 kg. Simon Bolivar is operated by the Agencia Bolivariana para Actividades Espaciales (Bolivarian Agency for Space Activities) in Caracas, under the Ministry of Popular Power for Science and Technology.
• Launch was into a 169 x 41771 km x 24.80 deg orbit. By Nov 12 the satellite was in a 35784 x 35788 km x 0.4 deg orbit over 78.0W.

Satellite tracking: