Nigeria Relaunches Broadcast Satellite into Orbit

Nigerian officials said they have launched a broadcast satellite into orbit to replace one that was lost in space.

Project manager Abdulrahman Adejah said Monday on state-run television that NIGCOMSAT-1R launched successfully from a Chinese launch pad.

Authorities say a Chinese team built the satellite which is expected to provide phone, broadband Internet and broadcasting services in Nigeria and other African countries.

NIGCOMSAT-1R replaces Nigeria's first broadcast satellite, which was lost in 2008. Nigeria launched two observation satellites in August this year.

Nigeria's has become a main African player in space technology development. However, the oil-rich nation remains largely dependent on other nations' technology.