BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 12. The management of the C and Ku frequency bands, maintained by the Azerspace-1 satellite, located in orbital position 46° East, was registered with the government of Azerbaijan on January 11, 2024, Trend reports.
According to Azercosmos OJSCo., the registration has been approved by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Previously, the Azerspace-1 telecommunication satellite, launched in 2013 and stationed at 46° East, operated in the C and Ku frequency bands of the Malaysian administration's orbit. The registration of these bands in the name of Azerbaijan indicates that Azerspace-1 is already in Azerbaijan's orbit, not Malaysia's.
The transfer of the orbital location to Azerbaijan began on December 8, 2020, with the filing of the required documentation with the ITU. Achieving one's orbital position is a difficult endeavor in international practice, and the process typically takes seven years. However, Azerbaijani specialists finished the entire process in just three years. During this time, the Azerbaijani side completed negotiations on the coordination of 265 satellite networks with 34 governments and obtained applicable agreements.
The orbital position at 46° East is Azerbaijan's first and only position in a geostationary orbit. This will enable Azerbaijan to install telecommunication satellites in its orbital position in the future, regardless of the state.
The geostationary orbit, a limited zone for satellites working in the fields of telecommunications, radio broadcasting, and weather forecasting, is located at an altitude of about 36,000 kilometers above the equator. The primary importance of this altitude is that satellites here rotate at the same speed as the Earth's surface. This allows both satellite operators and customers, as well as individuals using television and radio from their homes via satellite, to receive an uninterrupted signal from the satellite without having to change the direction of their antennas. Countries formally apply to the ITU to use vacant orbital positions in the geostationary orbit, independently or via private companies. The satellites to be positioned in this orbit are currently being assembled or awaiting launch. When a satellite in the geostationary zone reaches the end of its 15-20-year operational capability, the country that owns the orbital position has the option of replacing it. This regulatory principle effectively allows countries to maintain their positions for an indefinite period.
A country entering the space sector for the first time cannot easily place a satellite into geostationary orbit. To do so, the chosen orbital position must be coordinated with countries that possess their own orbital positions.
Due to its orbital position, Azerbaijan has acquired a prominent status among countries with such limited assets as the geostationary orbit.
Stay up to date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel