China and Algeria celebrate 65 years of diplomatic ties in 2023, with the two countries on track to strengthen in-depth exchanges and their strategic partnership.

In 2017, China launched Algeria's first communications satellite, the Alcomsat-1. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his then Algerian counterpart Abdelaziz Bouteflika exchanged congratulatory messages on the successful launch.

During the last few years, the satellite has been used by Algeria for broadcast and television, emergency communication, distance education, e-governance, enterprise communication, broadband access and satellite-based navigation.

China-built satellite 

China launched Alcomsat-1 into a preset orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan on December 11, 2017.

The communications satellite was developed by China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), and the Algerian Space Agency (ASAL) took part in the launch project. 

The satellite was launched 40 minutes after midnight by a Chinese Long March-3B carrier rocket, making it the 258th flight mission for the Long March rocket family. Afterwards, both the Chinese and Algerian sides conducted satellite on-orbit testing and completed an on-orbit review.

With a design life of 15 years, the satellite is based upon the DFH-4 platform with 33 satellite transponders. 

Algerian pride over satellite

Algeria has established an efficient and secure transmission network, enhancing national telecommunications sovereignty, thanks to the launch of Alcomsat-1.

The ASAL said it has received positive and promising feedback on program communication and broadcast performance with the help of the Arstar-1 system. These capabilities are also used for broadcasting, telephony, data transmission, disaster management, and live coverage of sporting and cultural events, said the Algerian space agency.

The satellite has also benefited more than 27,000 schools and 3,700 hospitals following the signing of multiple contracts with national and international operators. The satellite enables high-speed interconnection between multiple sites in remote areas such as rural areas, mountainous areas or areas lacking terrestrial telecommunications infrastructure.

Moreover, the satellite has had an impact outside of Algeria. For example, Mauritania once expressed interest in the telecommunication services provided by the Arstar 1 system, especially in the maritime and hydrocarbon industries, and Tunisia has also sought to benefit from satellite services.

Alcomsat-1 provides a guarantee of high-availability satellite links and high-quality applications for all users, broadcasting high-definition programming to public TV channels for over 50 radio channels in Algeria and other countries.

An image of Alcomsat-1 and its ground station printed on the new 500 dinar denomination banknotes of Algeria, highlighting the African country's pride in its first communications satellite, China Media Group (CMG) reported.

China-Algeria space ties

Yang Baohua, who took part in the 2017 launch of Alcomsat-1 with the ASAL, said China anticipates substantive cooperation with Algeria in other aerospace projects during an on-orbit delivery ceremony for Alcomsat-1 in 2018.

Yang, the deputy general manager of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, said the project was an important manifestation of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Algeria, and the successful delivery of the satellite was borne out of four years of hard work by scientists and researchers from both countries.

The project has created a good precedent for increased cooperation between the two sides in the aerospace field, said Yang. 

Azzedine Oussedik, director of the ASAL, echoed Yang by saying China's successful launch of Alcomsat-1 was the latest achievement in the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. 

During a press conference in 2021, the ASAL director said the satellite helped Algeria strengthen its national sovereignty in telecommunications and ensure economic sustainable development through the establishment of an efficient and secure transmission network.

In addition, China trained 323 Algerian technicians to operate the satellite develop more applications in the future, according to the Alcomsat-1 contract. 

Oussedik said the high-level training was essential for the sustainable development of Algeria's future space technology.