Azerspace-2 preparing for LRR

The Launch Readiness Review of Azerbaijan’s second geostationary satellite Azerspace 2/Intelsat 38 will take place on September 21 in French Guiana to authorize the start of operations for the final countdown, according to Arianespace.

The launch of the satellite will be carried out from the ELA3 launch complex of the Guiana Space Center on the night of September 26. Horizons 3e satellite of the joint venture of Intelsat and the Japanese operator Sky Perfect JSAT Corp will also be delivered to orbit together with the Azerbaijani satellite.

The second telecommunications satellite of Azerbaijan will be placed in a geostationary orbit 45 degrees east longitude and its lifetime in orbit will be 15 years.

Flight VA243 will become the 100th mission for the Ariane 5 heavy-lift launch vehicle and the 300th for the Arianespace launcher family.

Azerspace-2/Intelsat 38 is designed to provide a number of telecommunication services and it will serve two operators – Azercosmos and Intelsat. For Azercosmos the satellite will provide DTH (Direct-to-Home) broadcasting services in Europe, Central and South Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and for Intelsat it will ensure service continuity from the orbital position of 45 degrees, and the delivery of DTH services in Central and Eastern Europe, the AsiaPacific region, as well as the provision of communication services in Africa.

Azerspace-1, the nation’s first satellite, was launched into orbit on February 8, 2013. At present, its service area includes countries of Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The Azerbaijani satellite provides a variety of services, such as digital television, data transmission, VSAT multi-service networks, and governmental communications. The total cost of the Azerspace-1 project was $230 million.