The project to design and build the first Angolan satellite, Angosat-1, has an estimated cost of US$300 million, said Saturday in Luanda the minister of Telecommunications and Information Technology.

José Carvalho da Rocha also said that the funding involves several additional contracts related to the project, such as the contract to build the Mission Control Centre and the management of the satellite’s orbital position.

The minister was speaking at the end of an assessment and evaluation visit of the infrastructure that will ensure operation of the first Angolan satellite, in Funda commune, Cacuaco district, in Luanda, which is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2017.

The Mission Control Centre, whose three-floor building took about six months to build, occupies a plot of land of 6,600 square metres and will be responsible for monitoring, tracking and processing the telemetry data sent by Angosat-1.

Angosat-1 will have a primary mission control centre in Angola and a secondary one in Russia.

The Russian consortium that builds and finances the satellite is part of the SP Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia companies (RSC Energia), Telecom-Projecto 5 and Rosoboronexport, which heads the group. (macauhub/AO)