Article Posted on : - Nov 22, 2012

An unrelated file photo.

COLOMBO (PTI): The first ever Sri Lankan satellite launch, which was scheduled on Thursday from a Chinese space centre, has been delayed due to unfavourable weather conditions.

A new time for launch will be announced on Friday, local media quoted President Mahinda Rajapaksa's younger son Rohitha Rajapaksa, who is a key engineer in the Sri Lankan Space Systems, as saying.

With the launch of the satellite Sri Lanka will become the third South Asian nation, after India and Pakistan to own a communications satellite.

The Lankan communications satellite, whose launch has been delayed by five days, is a joint venture between the SupremeSAT (Pvt) Ltd and China's state owned China Great Wall Industry Corporation, ColomboPage reported.

The launch was scheduled for Thursday at Sri Lanka time 3.43 pm (GMT 1013) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China, R M Manivannan the head of SupremeSAT said.

Manivannan said the satellite would be controlled by the earth station which is currently being built in the Central district of Kandy's Pallekele.

The station costing $20 million will feature a space academy which will conduct on the job training for Sri Lankan space scientists, he said.