Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

Construction and orbiting of an Azerbaijani low-orbit satellite will take two years, Communications and Information Technologies Minister Ali Abbasov said on October 21.

According to Abbasov, Azerbaijani space agency Azercosmos under the ICT Ministry will announce a tender for the construction of the satellite closing in late 2013. The first such tender was canceled earlier this year because of the higher requirements for certain technical indicators of the satellite.

Azercosmos plans to launch the low-orbit satellite in 2015.

The space agency has conducted a study on the low-orbit satellite's benefits for domestic and foreign markets.

The satellite operator is developing a business plan on the possibilities of application and usage of a space radar and optical images both in Azerbaijan and in the regional markets.

Currently, Azercosmos is working to establish a cross-functional earth station which will also be used to receive satellite images from other satellites flying over the region. Work on the station is expected to finish by the end of 2013.

The first national satellite, Azerspace-1, was launched in February 2013. The telecommunication satellite covers Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and North Africa. Launching the second such satellite is planned for 2016, which will provide greater stability of telecommunication services, along with expansion of the coverage area.