The government of Turkmenistan has secured an agreement with European manufacturer Thales Alenia Space to build the country’s first telecoms satellite.
Construction is set to commence in December 2011, and the satellite is due to be placed by an…
The government of Turkmenistan has secured an agreement with European manufacturer Thales Alenia Space to build the country’s first telecoms satellite.
Construction is set to commence in December 2011, and the satellite is due to be placed by an undisclosed launch provider in late 2014 to 52E, an orbital slot leased from Monaco’s space agency.
Based on Thales’ Spacebus C2 platform, the 4.5 tonne, 10 Kw powered spacecraft will be fitted with Ku transponders to cover Central Asia.
Financial details were not disclosed, but a Thales spokeswoman said no export credit financing was used to back the deal.
The contract also includes associated ground infrastructure for two satellite control stations. In addition, Thales has agreed to train Turkmenistan’s new satellite operator team to help the country get its space programme off the ground.
This follows a decree issued by Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, the President of Turkmenistan, in May this year to set up a national space agency to monitor space, establish satellite communications and conduct research, including the study of outer space.
Reynald Seznec, president and CEO of Thales Alenia Space, said: “This is a very important milestone for our customer Turkmenistan Ministry of Communication and for our company, and we would like to thank all the parties involved in this project since the beginning – all the conclusive work conducted between our respective experts and engineers over the past year has always been driven by the vision set by Turkmenistan President for his country and its communication needs.”
He added: “Cooperation with Turkmenistan is strategically important for Thales group and this contract is further reinforcing our already existing relations.”
With this contract, Turkmenistan joins a growing list of countries that are opting to operate their own satellites, rather than using hosted payloads. UAE state-owned satellite operator Yahsat launched its first spacecraft in April this year, and countries that have recently outlined intentions to follow suit include Azerbaijan and Uruguay.
Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Communication was unable to requests for comment before the press deadline.
