Azerbaijan, Iran to co-produce satellite
By Narmina Mammadova
The field of space industry has received additional impetus, as Azerbaijan and Iran plan to jointly produce a satellite. This would be a completely new level of cooperation.
Azerbaijan and Iran have reached an agreement on the joint production of a satellite probing the Earth, Iranian Minister of Communications and Information Muhammad Javad Azeri Jahromi told Trend.
Jahrumi noted that at present close ties are established between the two countries on cooperation in the field of satellite communications.
The Minister also mentioned the expansion of cooperation between countries in the field of postal services.
"Currently, Iran and Azerbaijan also cooperate in the field of postal communication, and we also intend to develop these relations. In the future, we also envisage expansion of cooperation in the field of postal financial services," said Jahromi.
In addition, Jahromi said, prospects for cooperation on the TASİM fiber-optic cable construction project will be discussed as part of the next meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart.
Azercosmos Open Joint-Stock Company was established in May 2010 by the presidential decree with the purpose of implementing the launch, operation, and exploitation of telecommunication satellites of Azerbaijan. This is the first Caucasian satellite operator.
According to the results of 2017, the company's revenues from commercial use amounted to $ 23 million. In January-June 2018, the satellite services were exported to 19 countries.
Azerbaijan’s Azercosmos OJSC operates satellites and other devices used at different heights in order to support the country’s socio-economic development, commercial, scientific activities and for state purposes.
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. Azerbaijan’s revenue from the operation of Azersky is expected to exceed $200 million within the next decade.
The company also manages two satellites Azerspace-1 and Azerspace-2.
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 addition, Azercosmos launched the new satellite Azerspace-2/Intelsat 38 on September 25, 2018. The satellite has been designed to provide a number of telecommunication services and will serve two operators - Intelsat SA and Azercosmos OJSC.
The second telecommunications satellite of Azerbaijan was placed in a geostationary orbit 45 degrees east longitude and its service area covers the countries of Europe, Central and South Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The lifetime of the satellite in orbit will be 15 years. The new satellite worth $190 million is projected to bring $400-million revenue to Azerbaijan’s economy.
Meanwhile, Iran is among the world's top nine cosmic nations today. The Islamic Republic of Iran has already achieved complete turnover of space technology. The full cycle of space technology is based on the use of artificial satellite, ground station, rocket launch system and artificial satellite channel.
Iran's first satellite, Omid research satellite, was launched into orbit in 2009. In 2010, Iran also sent its first bio-capsule containing living creatures into space, using the indigenous Kavoshgar-3 carrier.
Announced recently, Iran intends to send its first cosmonaut to the open space in 2019.
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