Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 11 / Trend H.valiyev /
A contract to launch the first Azerbaijani space telecommunications satellite will be signed in December 2009- January 2010, Communications and IT Minister Ali Abbasov said today.
According to the minister, Azerbaijan is presently negotiating with four consulting companies, one manufacturing company and a company that will provide rental orbital position.
"Presently, all the issues have been resolved and we hope that the contract will be signed in December 2009- January 2010," the minister said. "The reliability and economic attractiveness are the main issues for us."
Orbital Sciences Corp. won a tender to create the Azerspace satellite. The tender was announced by the ministry in January
The satellite's cost will be roughly 163 million manat. The satellite's construction will cost 87 million manat, and 40 million manat will be spent on the satellite's orbit. A satellite control center will cost 16 million manat and the remaining 18 million manat will be spent on fully insuring the satellite.
According to plans, the Azerspace satellite will launch into orbit in 2011.
The satellite's terms of exploitation will be 15 years with a payback period of about five years. Azerbaijan intends to use about 25 percent of the satellite's resources, and the remaining amount will be offered to operators in other countries.
The International Telecommunications Union has given Azerbaijan two geostationary orbit positions for local use and one position for international use.
The satellite's launch will be Azerbaijan's first step into the space industry.
The national satellite will enable Azerbaijan to create high quality and reliable communications systems and television, as well as increase the number of channels.
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