ITU says Azerbaijan needs more satellites
By Nigar Orujova
Azerbaijan needs to move towards satellite industry, said Orozobek Kaiykov, Head of the International Telecommunication Union Area Office for CIS Countries.
Despite the fact that this can be a costly issue, he said, Azerbaijan should have at least four satellites to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of its satellite communication services.
"Formation of a constellation of satellites is needed to ensure the reliability of the provided satellite communications services, so they can replace each other in unexpected circumstances and emergencies," he stressed.
Earlier it was reported that Azerbaijan was negotiating with ITU on the geostationary orbital position for the second telecommunications satellite Azerspace-2.
The position of 62 degrees east longitude had been discussed earlier by Azerbaijan for the second satellite system. However, given the problems in the coordination of orbital positions, the country decided to make a long-term lease of the orbital position of foreign countries.
The issue of determining orbital position of the second telecommunications satellite of Azerbaijan will be resolved soon. A contract for the construction and launching of geostationary satellite is expected to be signed in early 2015, while the second telecommunication satellite’s launch is scheduled for 2017.
The tender for the second satellite program will involve six companies. The construction of the satellite will take 30 months.
Azerbaijan entered the global space club by launching into orbit its own satellite by France’s Ariane 5 ECA launcher, "Arianespace" company in February 2013.
Azerspace-1 telecommunication satellite covers Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and North Africa. The satellite was designed to offer digital broadcasting services, internet access, and data transmission. It also creates multiservice VSAT networks and provides governmental communication services.
Some 80 percent of the satellite's resources are available for commercial purposes. Currently, Azerspace-1 broadcasts cover 120 TV and Radio channels.
The TV content is available when satellite antennas configured with 11,169 MHz frequency, 20,400 speed, Horizontal and FEC - 5/6 polarization.
Azerspace-1's term of exploitation in the orbit will remain legal for up to 15 years. Baku is expected to earn $500-600 million by operating the satellite.
Azerbaijan’s space agency Azercosmos also jointly uses the low-earth-orbit satellites SPOT 6 and SPOT 7 together with the French company "Airbus Defence and Space".
Each of these satellites is capable of daily surveying an Earth's surface area up to three million square kilometers.