The National Space Agency of Ukraine (NSAU) is set to launch its first telecoms satellite towards the end of 2013 after finalising an orbital arrangement with Eutelsat.
Their agreement will see the satellite, called Lybid, launched to 48E instead of…
The National Space Agency of Ukraine (NSAU) is set to launch its first telecoms satellite towards the end of 2013 after finalising an orbital arrangement with Eutelsat.
Their agreement will see the satellite, called Lybid, launched to 48E instead of 38.2E, where there were concerns it could interfere with Eutelsat’s W4 and W7 birds, which are both located at 36E, as well as Greek regional operator Hellas Sat’s bird at 39E.
Local reports have highlighted how these concerns played a part in the delay to loft Lybid, which was originally set to launch towards the end of 2011. It is understood that Lybid would have been unable to deploy all the services it was aiming to provide from its originally planned 38.2E position.
The spacecraft, which aims to provide direct broadcast television and internet services across Ukraine and surrounding areas, will be launched on a Zenit-3 rocket, representing an important milestone for prospective Ukrainian operator Ukrkosmos.
It is being constructed by Canadian manufacturer MDA, with costs being financed through a ten-year US$254m loan from Canada’s export credit agency. This facility was secured in 2009, and has an annual interest rate of 5.1%.
Local reports citing NSAU head Yuri Alekseyev suggest that India has already expressed commercial interest in using the satellite to cover its northern regions.
NSAU did not respond to requests for comment.
