The International Relations and Accounting Centre (IR&AC) of Azerbaijan has awarded a contract to Arianespace to launch the country’s first communications satellite by the end of 2012.
The satellite, weighing nearly 3,000kg, will be boosted into geostationary transfer orbit by an Ariane 5 rocket from the Guiana Space Centre.
The satellite, which will be fitted with 36 active Ku and C-band transponders, will be built by the US’s Orbital Sciences Corporation using a STAR-2 platform.
The satellite will deliver a wide range of communications services for all of Azerbaijan, as well as Central Asia, Europe, Middle East and Africa.
