spacetoday.net: Chinese-built Nigerian satellite malfunctions

Posted: Thu, Nov 13, 2008, 6:26 AM ET (1126 GMT)
A Chinese-built Nigerian communications satellite launched last year has malfunctioned in orbit, officials said Wednesday. The NigComSat-1 spacecraft suffered "electricity power exhaustion", according to the China Great Wall Industry Corp., a problem it blamed on a problem with the spacecraft's solar panels. Nigerian officials denied reports in the local media that the spacecraft had gone "missing", but did state that the spacecraft's batteries had failed to charge properly. Reports were unclear regarding whether the spacecraft was a total loss or if the problem could be repaired somehow. NigComSat-1 was built by China and launched on a Long March rocket in May 2007. The spacecraft is the same model as a satellite launched for Venezuela last month.