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US firm wins a contract to put Azerbaijanâ€™s satellite into orbit

07 August 2009 15:42 (UTC +04:00)

The other bidders were Thales Alenia Space, EADS/Astrium (France), , Space Systems/Loral Inc., Orbital Sciences Corporation (US), Sumitomo Corporation/ISS Reshetnev alliance (Japan-Russia).

According to the tender results, Orbital Sciences Corporation was the best bidder, followed by Space Systems/Loral Inc. and Thales Alenia Space.

Orbital Sciences Corporation is a Dulles, Virginia company which specializes in satellite launch and manufacture.

The satellite is slated for launch in December 2011. Azerbaijan has leased two orbital slots to orbit two satellites â€“ AzerSpace and AzerSat.

The countryâ€™s TV broadcasts are being transmitted through satellites of other countries at present.

Launching a communications satellite costs about $100-160 million in the world practice, but Azerbaijan has not set how much will it cost and whether the project will be financed by the government or investors.

Azerbaijanâ€™s satellite will deliver broadcasting services though a broader area covering the entire Europe (excluding Scandinavia) and half of Asia with most of Kazakhstan.