SSL selected to provide satellite for Azercosmos, Intelsat partnership

Space Systems/Loral (SSL), a Palo Alto, CA-based provider of commercial satellites, announced on October 20 that it was selected to provide a communications satellite to Azercosmos, the national satellite operator of Azerbaijan. Under the strategic agreement with Intelsat, the world’s leading provider of satellite services, the satellite will be located at the 45 degrees east orbital location where it will provide service in Africa, Asia,Europe and the Middle East.

“SSL has a long history of partnering with satellite operators,” said John Celli, President of SSL. “We look forward to supporting Azercosmos in its collaborative project with Intelsat by building the spacecraft that will help both Azercosmos and Intelsat meet their growth objectives.

Azerspace-2 will be Azercosmos’ second telecommunications satellite, and will expand on the current capacity of Azerspace-1. It will support growing demand for DTH, government, and network services in Europe, Central and South Asia, the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa.

For Intelsat, the satellite will provide continuity of service for the Intelsat 12 satellite currently stationed at 45 degrees East, an orbital location which hosts DTH platforms for Central and Eastern Europe as well as the Asia-Pacificregion. Intelsat 38 will also provide connectivity for corporate networks and government applications in Africa. Intelsat 12 was also built by SSL and launched in 2000.

“This new satellite will provide Azercosmos with additional capacity for the increasing demand in the region, and will allow us to continue to bring the best service to our customers,” stated Rashad Nabiyev, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Azercosmos. “We are pleased to collaborate with two world leaders in the satellite industry.”

“Intelsat 38 is an example of the collaboration taking place across the satellite industry today,” said Thierry Guillemin, EVP and Chief Technical Officer of Intelsat. “Our partnership with Azercosmos and SSL will enable us to meet the content distribution demands of viewers in Central Europe and Asia and provide corporate networks in Africa with the broadband connectivity they need to build and expand their businesses.”

The satellite Azerspace-2/Intelsat 38, will be designed and built by SSL and owned by MDA. As part of the agreement, MDA, a global communications and information company headquartered in Canada, will provide knowledge transfer cooperation related to radar Earth observation directly to Azercosmos.The satellite design is based on the highly reliable SSL 1300 satellite platform that provides the flexibility for a broad range of applications and technology advances. It is scheduled for launch in 2017.

Source: MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd.