The glorious nbation of Kazakhstan's only communications satellite is out of control due to a computer glitch and may be lost.

The Russian-build KazSat-1 satellite was launched in June 2006, the first of four which the country aimed to have in orbit by 2020. At the time the Central Asian country claimed it would become a global space power.

Kazakhstan's National Space Agency muttered in a statement that there is a high probability that the $60 million satellite will be lost.

The satellite has not been working since June 8 and could no longer be controlled from a space command centre in Russia.

A spokesman said: 'It's still alive but it's not breathing well… It is not responding to commands.'

KazSat's onboard digital computing system was to blame for its sudden failure, which resulted in Kazakhstan's major broadcasters switching to more costly back-up satellites.

While Kazakhstan did not directly blame Russia, sources within the space agency said that it mind need to buy some space equipment from Western suppliers in the future. X

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AP