China launched Algeria's first communication satellite, Alcomsat-1, into a preset orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan on Dec 11, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

Algeria’s first communications satellite — developed, built and launched by China — began operation this month, according to China Great Wall Industry Corp, the project’s chief contractor.

An in-orbit delivery ceremony for the Alcomsat-1 was held at the Algerian Space Agency’s headquarters in Algiers this month, the company said in a statement.

Alcomsat-1 was launched in December atop a Long March 3B carrier rocket at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan.

It is the ninth telecom satellite China has provided to foreign nations and the first space cooperation project between China and Algeria, the statement said.

Alcomsat-1 was designed and manufactured by the China Academy of Space Technology, part of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, and is based on the DFH-4 satellite platform.

With a liftoff weight of 5.2 metric tons and a designed life span of 15 years, the satellite will be used for a wide variety of public services such as television broadcasting, emergency communications, remote education and satellite-based signal augmentation, according to Great Wall Industry.