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The Sundaytimes Sri Lanka

SL space academy ready to blast off with Chinese expertise

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China will lend its expertise to Sri Lanka’s first space academy to be launched next year, through a joint venture between Supreme Satellite Private Ltd Colombo and Great Wall Industry Corporation of China (CGWIC), with an investment of US$ 20 million, a company official said.
The space academy, to be set up on a 30-acre land in Koggala, is expected to train Sri Lankan s in space and satellite technology with the aim of promoting space science in the country.

The mission is to inspire thousands of young people and encourage them to look to space for a career, SupremeSAT Managing Director R.M. Manivannan told the Business Times.   “It will use Chinese world-class expertise in space science to further boost the size and quality of Sri Lanka’s science and engineering pool, providing the country with skilled workers who can boost the growth of our economy,” he added.
This academy will provide training for youth to handle communication satellite operations.

They will also be given training in space technology and this would be initially done in China, he said, adding the ultimate objective is to train astronauts localy. “Gone are the days when younger Sri Lankans searched for greener pastures overseas. We are building an economy which offers cutting edge technological sector opportunities such as our satellite venture. This will reverse the brain drain,” he added.Both companies also have a joint venture worth $320 million to launch the country’s first communication satellite.

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