On Tuesday, April 26, Ecuador’s first satellite will launch in China. The satellite, called “Pegaso,” (Pegasus) was build in Ecuador by the Ecuadorian Civil Aviation Agency (EXA), a company belonging to Ronnie Nader, who is known as the first Ecuadorian cosmonaut. 

Pegaso, a 10cm by 10cm cube weighing just over a kilo, will orbit the Earth 600 kilometres above the ground, and will transmit real time satellite video, said President Rafael Correa during his weekly broadcast.

The president says this is the first satellite that will transmit a live video signal which will be open to all the citizens of the world to see. The signal will bear a watermark with the word “Ecuador” in the lower part of the frame, Nader said during the president’s broadcast.

President Correa said: “It’s an effort we have made for humanity, not just for those who can pay. Knowledge should belong to everyone.”

The satellite was built and will be launched with funding from two government agencies: SENESCYT (the higher education, science and technology ministry) and SENAIN (the intelligence secretariat).

Nader said that they will launch a second satellite in August.

Original story