Azerbaijani satellite operator Azercosmos is talking to two potential partners about using their orbital slots for its second satellite, according to CEO Rashad Nabiyev.
In an interview with SatelliteFinance, Nabiyev said he was looking at “all the…
Azerbaijani satellite operator Azercosmos is talking to two potential partners about using their orbital slots for its second satellite, according to CEO Rashad Nabiyev.
In an interview with SatelliteFinance, Nabiyev said he was looking at “all the options” to expand out of the Middle East with a 2016 launch.
“We are developing our own orbital slot, but it is a time consuming process,” he said.
Azerspace-1, its first bird, is backed by export credit agency funding and uses an orbital position owned by Malaysian satellite operator Measat.
The state-owned operator will again look to tap ECA support, but Nabiyev said its plans were not dependent on it.
The Azerbaijani government has already secured a half a million dollar grant from the US Trade and Development Agency to study the feasibility of procuring its next bird with a US-based manufacturer.
Although Virginia-based Orbital Sciences built its first satellite, Nabiyev insisted the study was not about chasing another US manufacturer, but to look at Azercosmos’ growth plans as a whole.
“Just because we have received a US grant it does not mean we will only be confined to US satellite manufacturers for Azerspace-2,” he said.
“We hope to issue an international tender before the end of this year.”
Azerspace-1, which was placed in February by Arianespace, saw the US Export-Import Bank back a US$116.6m BNP Paribas loan for its construction, and France’s Coface guaranteeing a US$98m loan from Societe Generale and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation for the launch.
According to Nabiyev, Azercosmos has already sold about 42% of the capacity on the bird, and only 20% of that to local industry.
“Our next satellite will serve as a back-up for our first, but it will also address a shortage in capacity,” he said.
“We are seeing strong demand for a bigger chunk of capacity than we currently offer. That could be served by Ka-band, for example.”
He also said the company was open to M&A deals to “develop as fast as we can”, although it was not currently in any active discussions.
