Azernews.Az

By Aynur Jafarova

Kazakhstan's KazSat-2 spacecraft is designed to provide TV broadcasting and data transmission in Kazakhstan, Central Asian countries, and the central part of Russia.

The news was announced by Kazkosmos Chairman Talgat Musabayev, Trend Agency reported.

He noted the spacecraft is designed to meet the needs of Kazakh satellite operators.

Republican Center of Space Communication, the national operator of the space communication system, has concluded contracts with 11 organizations to lease the satellite services of the KazSat-2 spacecraft.

Loading of the satellite is about 64 percent of the total transponder capacity.

It was also decided to create the third national geostationary communication and broadcasting satellite KazSat-3 for further development of the satellite communication system.

KazSat-3 is designed to provide communications and television and high speed Internet access in the Kazakh territory and neighboring states.

Musabayev also noted the satellite should reach its orbital position of 58.5 degrees east longitude in mid-May and will be commissioned in September.

He went on to say that the use of the KazSat-3 spacecraft will reduce service imports by more than four billion tenge per year and increase the tax revenues of the state budget.

Kazakhstan was the first post-Soviet country after Russia which launched its own space satellite. KazSat was launched in June 2006, and the second Kazakh space satellite was launched in July 2011. KazSat-2 operates in the normal mode, provides services to 11 Kazakh operators, and receives more than $2 billion tenge (about $11 millions) for its services.