Azernews.Az

The Turkmen national satellite will have three antennas and cover parts of Europe, Africa and Asia by late 2014, Representative of the Space Agency under the President of Turkmenistan Jeren Annamanova said.

"The satellite will have 38 transponders (a kind of transmitter)," he said.

Annamanova said the satellite will begin operations in late 2014, and apecialists of the National Space Agency are now studying abroad and will control the satellite from a ground control center in Turkmenistan.

The satellite will provide all types of communication services - television and radio broadcasting, Internet services, telephone communciations, video conferencing, distance learning, remote medicine and an information network.

According to the contract signed in 2011 with the Turkmen government, the French Thales Alenia Space started building the first national satellite of Turkmenistan.

In turn, the Chinese industrial company Great Wall has entered into a contract with Thales, in which China will help Turkmenistan launch its first communications satellite.

The launch is scheduled for 2014 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center with the help of Changzheng - 3B series rocket carrier.

This is the first satellite to be launched by Turkmenistan. It will make a significant breakthrough in the field of telecommunications, and other applications such as Internet and mobile communications.