Argentina will construct a satellite that will be put in orbit in 2011 with the target to give services of telephony, information, Internet and television to users of the country and of the Southern Cone.

The project, which will demand an investment for 270 million dollars, will be financed in 2009 and 2010 with funds of the state budget, as it consists in the agreement signed by the Department of Federal Planning, the National Institute of Applied research (INVAP) and the Company Argentina of Solutions Satelitales (ARSAT), of public and private capital.

The minister of Planning, Julio de Vido, told that there is already concluded the first phase of "conceptual engineering", to which it will continue the stage of "engineering of details" and then the construction of the satellite.

The development will complete with the putting in orbit of the satellite, in the meridian 72.

"What we are doing is a revival of the activity satelital in Argentina", supported Héctor Otheguy, general manager of INVAP, in charge of the construction of the satellite.

The Argentine ex-president Néstor Kirchner (2003-2007) had signed in December, 2006 an agreement with ARSAT and INVAP to start the process of design of the satellite.

At the moment of the signature of that agreement, almost two years ago, the Government had informed that the project was going to demand an investment from 150 to 200 million dollars.


(Efe, 01/09/08)