Azerbaijan signs deal with US firm to make space satellite
Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Communications and Information
Technologies and US Orbital Sciences Corporation signed an
agreement Thursday on manufacturing Azerbaijan’s first
communications satellite.
The satellite is to be launched in 2012. The project is estimated
at around $200 million. Over $105m will be spent to build the
satellite, while $20m – to operate a control center, $50m are
required to put it in the orbit using rocket launchers, and the
remaining amount will be spent on insurance.
According to preliminary estimates, the project cost will be
covered within five to seven years from the launch of the
satellite. Azerbaijan plans to use only 20 percent of the
satellite’s resources and sell the rest to foreign operators.
Malaysia has been granted the right to use 40 percent of the
resources, and bids are being accepted to determine other
users.
The satellite is expected to cover the entire Europe, with the
exception of Scandinavian countries, and half of Asian territory by
encompassing most of Kazakhstan.*
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