SupremeSAT
 SupremeSAT logo | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | October 25, 2011 |
| Type | Space agency |
| Headquarters | Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Key people | R. M. Manivannan (Managing Director) |
| Primary spaceport | Xi-Chang, China |
| Annual budget | US$ 320 million[1] |
| Website | www.supremesat.com/ |
SupremeSAT (Pvt) Ltd.is the first and only Sri Lankan satellite operator.[2] It claims a partnership with China's state owned satellite manufacturing institution China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC).
SupremeSAT was expected to deploy the first Sri Lankan satellite, Supreme SAT-I on November 22 but postponed till November 27 due to bad weather[3] from Xi-Chang in China.[4] The launch vehicle payload carried the Sri Lankan national flag as an advertisement paid for by SupremeSAT. The company also claimed that the satellite was jointly owned by SupremeSAT and CGWIC. However, nothing ever came from the Chinese side to support this statement and no Sri Lankan representatives addressed the post-launch press conference. Official photographs show only Chinese and French (for the satellite builder) representatives and flags.
At the time "Supreme SAT I" went into orbit, the company was talking of China SAT 11 (due for launch in 2013) as carrying the name "Supreme SAT II". However, as the May 1 launch of China SAT 11 approached, there were no announcements forthcoming from the Supreme SAT company, and direct questions to it on the subject went unanswered. Images of the launcher in preparation and lifting off showed no badges or logos relating either to Supreme SAT or to Sri Lanka.
In fact, there have been no significant public mentions, press releases or open signs of activity from the company since early-January 2013. The latest posting of company news to Supreme SAT's Facebook page[7] is dated 13 December 2012. It was followed by New Year greetings on January 2 but, since then, silence on company matters. For the first half of 2013 at least, the Facebook page became one for general space news, carrying occasional space-related stories copied from other web sites. In
Supreme SAT says it is planning to invest over US$ 320 million, and planning to launch Sri Lanka's first ever communications satellite genuinely owned by a Sri Lankan company. It will be called Supreme SAT-III., and the company says that it will be providing all types of telecommunications services to the country..
Supreme SAT says it has laid the foundation stone for the first 'Space Academy' at the Kandy BOI (Board of Investment). An investment of US$ 20 million on Space Academy, which is targeting to train Sri Lanka's in space and satellite technology, will begin in 2013. Also, a satellite ground station is to be built in Koggala area to oversee satellite operations.
The youngest son of the President of Sri Lanka is employed by the company as its technical director.
Satellite fleet
| Satellite | Location | Launched | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SupremeSAT-I | 87.5°E | November 27, 2012 | DFH-4 | Manufacturer: Thales Alenia Space |
| SupremeSAT-II | 98°E | May 1, 2013 | Chinasat 11 | No No indication that SupremeSAT was involved in the launch or has any plans to use the payload |
| SupremeSAT-III | 50°E | Planned to 2015 | - | Planned to shift the businesses from SupremeSAT-I & SupremeSAT-II to SupremeSAT-III..[2] |
References
Sri Lanka to break the final frontier
Historic 'Space Academy' launched in Kandy
Lanka to own communication satellite by 2015
SL launches its first Space Academy
‘A Sri Lankan in space - not the stuff of dreams’