Argentina launched its first domestically built communications satellite on Thursday.
The ARSAT-1 satellite is the first to be constructed with local technology in Latin America. It was built by a crew of about 500 scientists over seven years at a cost of $250 million. The satellite was launched from a base in French Guyana and is to orbit 36,000 kilometers above Earth.
“ARSAT-1 is on its way to space. What a thrill,” President Cristina Fernandez tweeted shortly after the launch.
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ARSAT-1 is designed to provide digital television and cell phone services to Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay for the next 15 years. It’s also expected to improve telephone and Internet connections in remote places, including for scientists working in the Antarctic region.