Having reached its final orbital position, the first Azerbaijani Ku-band satellite is going through a last testing phase before entering commercial service.
Two weeks ago, an Arianespace Ariane-5 ECA rocket triumphantly boosted Azerspace/Africasat-1a into space. The telecommunications satellite has finally reached its last orbital position at 46 degrees East and deployed its solar arrays and reflectors. It will start commercial operations in March.
Azerspace/Africasat-1a will spend the next two weeks performing payload IOT tests. Orbital Sciences will then hand over control of the satellite to Azercosmos. The Azerbaijani state-owned satellite operator will run Azerspace/Africasat-1a from its control center in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Built by Orbital Sciences based on the Company’s GEOStar-2 platform, the Azerspace/Africasat-1a is a hybrid C- and Ku-band satellite that will provide satellite communications services to Azerbaijan and international customers in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia over the next 15 years.
