Second Azerbaijani satellite to launch in May
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By Kamila Aliyeva
The launch of Azerspace-2/Intelsat 38, the second telecommunications satellite of Azerbaijan, is scheduled for May 25.
This was announced by France’s Arianespace, created in 1980 as the world's first commercial space transportation company, which will send the satellite into the orbit, on April 6.
The satellite will be delivered into orbit by the Ariane 5 ECA launch vehicle from the Guiana Space Center, which is located in the northeast of South America, in French Guiana.
Along with the Azerbaijani satellite, the Ariane 5 ECA launch vehicle will simultaneously deliver the Indian GSAT-11 communication satellite.
Azerspace-2/Intelsat-38 will be placed in a geostationary orbit 45 degrees east longitude. The zone of its service will include the countries of Europe, Central and South Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
The satellite’s manufacturer is Space Systems Loral (SSL), which is also a provider of satellite control systems. The new satellite will further ensure the sustainability of the work, and will expand coverage of services.
The revenue from the first satellite of Azerbaijan Azerspace-1 since its launch into orbit amounted to $72 million so far, and from Azersky satellite – $19 million.
Azerspace-1, the nation’s first satellite, was launched into orbit on February 8, 2013. At present, its service area includes countries of Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The Azerbaijani satellite provides a variety of services, such as digital television, data transmission, VSAT multi-service networks, and governmental communications. The total cost of the Azerspace-1 project was $230 million.
In December 2014, Azercosmos took over the rights to operate and commercialize Azersky, high resolution (1.5 meter imagery products) optical Earth observation satellite, and entered into the commercial business of Earth observation services, including geo-information services. Income of Azerbaijan from the operation of Azersky is expected to exceed $200 million within the next decade.
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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva
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