WATCH VIDEO. Intelsat and Azercosmos, the national satellite operator of Azerbaijan, have announced the successful launch of the Intelsat 38 and Azerspace-2 satellite aboard an Ariane 5 launch vehicle from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana.
Intelsat 38 is a Ku-band satellite and will be located in the 45 degrees orbital position. It will replace Intelsat 12 and DTH platforms for Central and Eastern Europe, as well as the Asia-Pacific region. Intelsat 38 will also provide connectivity for corporate networks and government applications in Africa. Intelsat 38 was built by SSL, a Maxar Technologies Ltd. company (formerly MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd).
Commenting on the satellite, Stephen Spengler, CEO Intelsat, said: “Today’s successful launch is a great example of the power and value derived from collaborating with other satellite operators.
“Intelsat’s partnership with Azercosmos reflects a mutually beneficial collaboration that optimises capital investments, leverages spectrum rights and facilitates refreshed and expanded capacity for customer growth. Intelsat 38’s leading DTH platform will provide media customers with an opportunity to further expand their business as well as deliver enhanced services and differentiated content to viewers across Central and Eastern Europe and the Asia Pacific regions. It will also provide fast, resilient and redundant broadband connectivity to enterprise and government customers looking to expand their services in Africa.”
Rashad Nabiyev, chairman and chief Executive officer of Azercosmos, added: “Azerspace-2 is Azercosmos’ second telecommunications satellite and will further expand the service currently available from Azerspace-1.
“The satellite will also enable us to provide more reliable service by serving as back-up for Azerspace-1 located at 46 degrees East, which is only one degree away from Azerspace-2. We are pleased to have collaborated with leaders of the global satellite industry throughout the implementation of this project.”
Intelsat 38 and Azercosmos-2 are expected to enter into service in the first quarter of 2019.
