Kazakhstan’s sole communications satellite, used by many of the country’s television broadcasters, is out of control due to a computer glitch and is likely to be lost altogether, space officials said today. Kazakhstan launched the Russian-built KazSat-1 satellite in June 2006, the first of four which it aimed to have in orbit by 2020 and which it said would establish the Central Asian country as a global space power.
“There is a high probability that the satellite will be lost,” Kazakhstan’s National Space Agency said in a statement. Agency head Talgat Musabayev said the satellite, which experts said cost $60 million to $100 million at the time of launch, has been out of touch since June 8 and could no longer be controlled from a space command centre in neighbouring Russia.
“It’s still alive but it’s not breathing well,” Musabayev, himself a former cosmonaut, told reporters. “It is not responding to commands.” Musabayev said a breakdown in KazSat’s onboard digital computing system was to blame for its sudden failure, which forced some of Kazakhstan’s major broadcasters, such as the state-run channel Khabar TV, to switch to more costly back-up satellites. A number of smaller television companies have had to close altogether, he said.
(Source: Reuters)
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