Active Development AidData Chinese Aid

Bolivia announces Chinese grant of new earth station (linked to ID #35922, #36270, and #70272)

$7.5M USD

Funder	Unspecified Chinese Government Institution
Recipient Organization	Bolivia
Country	Bolivia
Start Date	Jan 01, 2014
End Date	Jan 06, 2031
Duration	6,214 days
Number of Grantees	1
Roles	Recipient
Data Source	AidData Chinese Aid
Grant ID	`36269`

Grant Description

In April 2014, the director of the Bolivian Space Agency (ABE), Iván Zambrana, announced that China would grant Bolivia a new earth station worth between 5 and 10 million USD following the successful launch in late 2013 of the telecommunications satellite Tupac Katari TKSAT I-1.

The new earth station would capture images of Chinese, North American and European satellites, as well as allow for the development of activities that will be facilitated through the remote sensing satellite called Bartolina Sisa-- it will serve for meteorology, agriculture and natural disaster prevention purposes.

The device is also called "remote sense" for the ability to project mineral, hydrocarbon and agricultural wealth of a region, using high-tech equipment.

Although money was earmarked for it by the Bolivian government in the 2015 budget, the Bartolina Sisa project was suspended until 2020. Its current status is unknown.

The station project may have been completed, though the exact mechanism by which the Chinese government participated is unknown.

On January 10, 2020, the handover ceremony took place for the renovation of the La Guardia Earth Station (Estación Terrena La Guardia) in Santa Cruz, which was originally built for the Tupac Katari satellite.

The renovations were said to help the Bolivian Space Agency effectively participate in future measurement and control services missions of other commercial communication satellites.

However, it is unclear if this is the same project announced by Zambrana in 2014, or if it is a separate project altogether, insofar as it is a renovation, not a grant of an entirely new station.

📋 Staff Comments

This project is linked to #35922: Tupac Katari (TKSAT-1) Communications Satellite and #36270 Second Bolivian Communications Satellite (TKSAT-2). Many sources refer to the second Bolivian satellite as a cross between a second communications satellite (TKSAT-2) and a remote sensing satellite Bartolina Sisa. However, the ABE report and other sources seem to separate them as two distinct projects.There are currently only two ground stations in Bolivia–the two which were part of the Tupac Katari (TKSAT-1) Communications Satellite project (#35922). Project #70272 captures the La Guardia renovation as free-standing technical assistance due to the uncertainty surrounding the connection of the renovation to the grant pledge captured in this project. Additionally, project status has been set to pledge, not completion, because the connection between these two cannot be confirmed. There is, further, no confirmation of the signing of an agreement committing the grant funds.

📚 Sources & References

China equipará con hasta $us 10 MM estación terrena para captar imágenes satelitales de Bolivia
China donará estación terrena que captará imágenes satelitales
China donará a Bolivia una estación terrena para captar imágenes satelitales
Bolivia´s National Satellite Program Tupac Katari I
Bolivia sets sights on launching 2nd communications satellite
中国向玻利维亚交付通信卫星
驻玻利维亚大使黄亚中出席玻卫星地面站改造项目启动仪式
Morales desea poner en órbita otro satélite de prospección que se denominaría Bartolina Sisa
Destinan $us 10 millones para Satélite Bartolina Sisa y prevén que bolivianos participen en construcción
China dona a Bolivia moderna estación satelital móvil Loan applications and disbursements are still being received and processed as the projects continue to evolve. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation are in place to ensure project continuity.

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Bolivia

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