Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 7 / Trend H. Valiyev /
The Arian-5 ECA rocket carrier is now ready to launch Azerbaijan's first telecommunications satellite Azerspace/Africasat-1a into orbit, Arianespace, the rocket carrier's manufacturer said today.
Arianspace has analysed the Arian-5 ECA's mission's state of readiness which will launch two satellites into orbit. Besides the Azerbaijani satellite, the rocket carrier will launch a Spanish telecommunications satellite Amazonas-3, located at the upper junction of the carrier, into orbit.
The total capacity of Ariane 5 in this mission will reach 10,350 kilogrammes of which around 9540 kilogrammes fall to the mass of the two satellites.
This will be Ariane-5's two hundred and twelfth lift-off (VA212) from the ELA-3 complex at the Guiana Space Centre on Thursday, February 8 night at 01:36 - 02:20 Baku time.
The payload of the Azerspace/Africasat-1, built on the STAR-2 platform consists of 36 transponders (24 C-band transponders and a 12 Ku-band range). The frequency band of each transponder is 36 MHz. The satellite weights 3275 kg and its service life in orbit will extend to 15 years. The U.S firm Orbital Sciences Corporation is the Azerspace/Africasat-1a satellite manufacturer.
The satellite will be launched into a geostationary orbit at 46 degrees east longitude and is leased from Malaysia's Measat Satellite Systems, owned by the government of Malaysia. Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and North Africa will be included in the service area of Azerspace.
The Azerbaijani satellite Azerspace/Africasat-1 is designed to provide digital broadcasting, Internet access, data transmission and the creation of VSAT multiservice networks and governmental communications.