By Wang Fengjuan

SKY-HIGH DREAM COMES TRUE

By Wang Fengjuan

Laos’ first satellite marks a milestone in space technology cooperation between China and Laos

Yang Baohua (right, front row), vice president of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, presents a model of Lao Sat-1 as a gift to Lao Minister of Post, Telecommunication and Communication Hiem Phommachanh at a ceremony in Vientiane, Laos’capital, on March 9, 2016.

“By using Lao Sat-1, the first communications satellite in Laos, we can watch live broadcasts of China’s Beijing Satellite Television and Hunan Satellite Television channels," beams Lydia, a young Lao woman and Chinese reality TV enthusiast who lives in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. "My TV set-top box was given to me for free by the Chinese team working at the satellite ground station."

Under the joint cooperation of China and Laos, Laos is saying farewell to an era in which its citizens had no access to satellite TV. It is also in the process of saying goodbye to the days in which Laos satellite TV programs relied on the forwarding of TV signals of foreign countries.

Lao Sat-1, developed by the Fifth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, is a commercial satellite which uses the Dongfanghong-4S platform and is equipped with 22 transponders. Lao Sat-1 can broadcast 60-80 TV programs simultaneously and provide live satellite TV communications and data transmission for Laos and other Southeast Asian countries. Four giant antennas, 13 meters long each, transmit and receive signals to and from the satellite at the ground station.

Tailor-Made Satellite

The satellite ground station, a white three-storey office building, sits 15 kilometers southeast of Vientiane. It was designed by a French architect who gained inspiration from the image of an elephant, an auspicious sign in Laos.

Lao Sat-1, the first satellite that China has exported to an ASEAN country, was also the first door that China opened for introducing Chinese aerospace technology and products to the ASEAN market. As the single base station of location services was built and passed technical tests in Laos, Lao Sat-1’s integrated location service system, constructed based on China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, was officially launched.

Initially, China wasn't the only country interested in working with the Lao satellite program. Han Qingping, president of China Asia-Pacific Mobile Telecommunications Satellite Co., Ltd. (China APMT), said that when China APMT first entered talks with the Lao government for the project, it joined the already fierce competition with the United States, France and Russia.

“China APMT eventually won the competition because of the profound friendship that exists between China and Laos," Han said. "In addition, we offered a tailor made program to them."

The orbital position of Lao Sat-1 is at 128.5 degrees east longitude, which was designed and applied by China APMT specially for Laos. At this operating position it can cover Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and other Mekong River countries.

60-80

The number of TV programs Lao Sat-I can broadcast simultaneously

15KM

The distance between Lao Sat-I's ground station and Vientiane, Laos' capital

Dream Come True

“Full-motion antennas do real-time monitoring of the satellite and issue instructions," said Li Lei, who is in charge of the satellite ground station. "They not only monitor the security of communications information but also transmit TV signals, so that distance education and remote medical services can be implemented, bringing benefits to local people."

In the past, as Laos didn’t have its own international communications gateway stations, it depended on foreign countries' gateway stations to receive international information. This led to content without autonomy and a lack of assurances on information security. With Lao Sat-1, Laos can build its own international communications gateway stations, which not only solve internet bandwidth problems but also broaden the transmission of international data.

In the past, communications cables didn’t cover remote areas and mountains in Laos. People living in such areas could not use landlines or mobile phones. Nowadays, satellite communications systems make calling easier and more smooth. In terms of satellite communications systems, the China APMT also designed and adopted a wireless broadband system with a particularly fast type of 4G-LTE technology, allowing more local citizens to access high speed internet.

According to the deal signed by China and Laos, the Lao Asia Pacific Satellite Co., Ltd. was recently established in Laos, and the former Laos Minister of Post and Telecommunications serves as chairman of the new company. Thus, China and Laos will jointly operate and manage the Lao Sat-1 and the application system at the ground station.

The Lao government will provide preferential policies for the joint venture, including required operating licenses and frequency resources. The joint venture is entrusted by the Lao government to operate and manage the Lao Sat-1 and the relevant assets of the ground station. The new company carries out operations in a franchise mode.

“I monitor and control the satellite, and monitor TV broadcasts," said Zheng Zhixing, a worker at the ground station who hails from China's Yunnan Province. "My job is to ensure the safe operation of the satellite. Lao Sat-1 is a link between China and Laos for the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, so I need to guarantee that the satellite doesn’t have any security risks."

“There are a lot of advanced aerospace technologies in China," Han added. "I would like to introduce and share high-tech civilian technologies such as the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, remote sensing image technology and unmanned aerial vehicles with ASEAN countries."

In the process of the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, in the aerospace field, China exports not only products, but also talent, experience and responsibility, according to Han.