COLOMBO, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka on Tuesday launched its first communications satellite from a space center in China, a local company announced.
The country's maiden satellite launch was done by SupremeSAT, a private company with collaboration from China's state-owned China Great Wall Industry Corporation.
SupremeSAT said that the satellite named SupremeSAT-1 will be capable of providing communications services, including broadband Internet, telecom and broadcasting services to the Middle East, South and Central Asia and Australia.
"This is a proud moment for us as citizens of Sri Lanka," Vijith Peiris, group chief executive officer of SupremeSAT, said in a statement.
With the successful launch of SupremeSAT-1, Sri Lanka became the 45th country to own a communication satellite and becomes the third South Asian country to have launched a satellite after India and Pakistan.
The launch was initially expected to take place on Nov. 22 but was postponed due to bad weather, Space Systems Engineer Rohitha Rajapaksa said.
The Sri Lankan Board of Investment entered into an agreement with SupremeSAT earlier this year to launch the communications satellite for Sri Lanka.
The satellite will be positioned above Sri Lanka in the geo- stationary orbit at 87.5 degree east approximately 36,000 km above the surface of the earth. 
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