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Azerbaijan says satellite manufacturing process to be launched next month

12 August 2009 14:11 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Vahab Rzayev - APA-Economics. The US-based Orbital Sciences Corporation, which won a tender from the government of Azerbaijan to manufacture he countryâ€™s first telecommunications satellite, will start assembly process in September, said Ali Abbasov, Minister of Communications and Information Technologies.

The satellite is slated for launch in December 2011.

In his words, the satellite launch project si due to cost nearly $160 million.

â€œOf this, about $87 million will go to manufacturing, $16 million to main and auxiliary management systems, $40 million to the launch of our satellite into orbit and $18 million to insurance costs. It is a commercial project and expected to return costs in 5-7 years. We intend to use only 20% of this satelliteâ€™s capacity and rent excess capacity to other countries. We have already given 40% of capacity to Malaysia,â€ he added.

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

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.

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.