Alcomsat-1 was launched on December 11, 2017, from China’s Xichang Satellite Launch Centre, using a Long March 3B, and was successfully placed into orbit at 24.8°W. The satellite was ready for operations and delivery on March 1, 2018.
This was the 9th communications satellite China has delivered to an international client, and its first for Algeria. Alcomsat-1 was commissioned in 2013 when CGWIC signed a contract with the Algerian Space Agency (ASAL), the first bilateral agreement between the two nations. Aside from China, ASAL has also signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with numerous other space agencies, including the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). ISRO was responsible for launching all of ASAL’s previous satellites except its first one, Alsat-1, which was launched from Russia.
