China launches Algeria's first communication satellite

China today successfully launched Algeria's first communication satellite, the first project in aerospace industry between the North African nation and Beijing.
The Alcomsat-1 was launched into a present orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in the southwestern province of Sichuan, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
It will be used by Algeria for broadcast and television, emergency communication, distance education, e-governance, enterprise communication, broadband access and satellite-based navigation, it said.
The satellite was launched 40 minutes past midnight by the Chinese Long March-3B carrier rocket, making it the 258th flight mission for the Long March rocket family.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Algerian counterpart Abdelaziz Bouteflika exchanged congratulatory messages on the successful launch of Alcomsat-1, the report said.