Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) - Bolivians are celebrating the launch of the country's first telecommunications satellite with indigenous rituals dedicated to Pachamama, or Mother Earth.
President Evo Morales was in China for the Friday launch of the satellite from that country.
Hundreds of people gathered in the Bolivian capital of La Paz to watch the takeoff on large television screens erected by the government.
The satellite is named after Tupac Katari, an indigenous Aymara hero who led 18th century resistance to Spanish colonizers. It was financed with a credit from the China Development Bank for $302 million.
Ivan Zambrana is director of the Bolivian Space Agency. He says the satellite should be fully operational by March and help bring down communications costs and improve television and Internet services for people living in rural areas.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)