Azerbaijan`s first telecommunications satellite to be launched tonight
Kuala Lumpur, February 7 (AZERTAC). Azerbaijan's first telecommunications satellite (Azerspace-1) will be launched to orbit this night at 1:36-2:20 Baku time from the Kourou spaceport (Guiana Space Centre), located in French Guiana.
The satellite is ready for operation.
Azerspace-1 is being manufactured by the US-based Orbital Sciences Corporation on a flight-proven GEO Star-2 platform and will be launched by the highly reliable Ariane-5 launch vehicle of the French Arianespace.
The satellite will be launched into a geostationary orbit at 46 degrees east longitude, leased from Malaysia's Measat Satellite Systems, owned by the Malaysian government. It will address current and future communications needs of more than 50 countries in Eastern Europe, North Africa, the Caucasus Region, Central Asia and Middle East.
Some 20% of satellite with the weight of 3.2 tons will be used to meet Azerbaijan’s demand, other 80% - for commercial purposes. Conditional contracts for utilization of 40% of the satellite have already been signed.
The regional management centre and reserve management centre have been established. The centre will be used for management of satellites of other countries flying over the region too.
Over the last 3 years 25-28 aged 30 national specialists were trained in US, France and Malaysia.
Note that order of President Ilham Aliyev “On establishment of space industry in Azerbaijan Republic and placing in orbit telecommunications satellites” as well as approval of the “State Program on creation and development of space industry in Azerbaijan Republic” have created fertile ground for the development of the space industry in the country.
Creation of the space industry and placing into orbit telecommunications satellites of Azerbaijan, including other multipurpose satellites, first and foremost, are of particular strategic importance in the direction of carrying out work to eliminate dependence of information exchange from foreign countries and to ensure information security. At the same time it will promote to improve the development of human resources and to enhance the intellectual potential in new economic areas to implement new science intensive projects, which in general, will led to creation of innovation-oriented economy.
Other news in this section
