2013-02-08 15:35:15 -
ORBITAL-BUILT AZERSPACE/AFRICASAT-1a COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE SUCCESSFULLY
LAUNCHED
-- Company's 30(th) Commercial GEOStar Satellite Will Provide Communications
Services for
Azerbaijan, Europe, Africa, Middle East and Central Asia --
(Dulles, VA 8 February 2013) - Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB), one of
the world's leading space technology companies, today announced that the
company-built Azerspace/Africasat-1a commercial communications satellite was
successfully launched into orbit on February 7, 2013 aboard an Ariane 5 rocket
from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. Lift-off took place at
4:36 p.m. (EST) and the satellite successfully separated from the rocket's final
stage approximately 37 minutes into the mission.
"Today is an historic day for the people of Azerbaijan. We're proud to be the
first among the South Caucus states to have a telecommunications satellite that
will provide important communications services to Azerbaijan, Central Asia, the
Middle East, Europe and Africa," said Elin Suleymanov, the Azerbaijani
Ambassador to the United States.
Orbital designed, built and tested the Azerspace/Africasat-1a satellite for the
Azercosmos Open Joint Stock Company of the Ministry of Communications and
Information Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
"This satellite illustrates the important commercial relationship between U.S.
industry and the Azerbaijani government. We appreciate the cooperation between
The Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies of the Republic of
Azerbaijan, the U.S. Import-Export Bank, and Orbital Sciences Corporation
throughout this nearly three-year process. I would also like to thank the
hundreds of Americans who worked to put this satellite in space. We look
forward to working together on future projects as Azerbaijan continues to
strengthen its communications infrastructure," Ambassador Suleymanov concluded.
Commenting on the early status of the mission, Mr. Christopher Richmond,
Orbital's Senior Vice President of Communications Satellite Programs, said, "The
launch of Azerspace/Africasat-1a was flawless, and so far, the mission is
operating smoothly. This is one of ten GEOStar-2 satellites that we are
building and delivering to customers around the world over a two-year period,
and the 30(th) such satellite the company has produced for commercial operators
in the last 15 years. Global satellite operators continue to recognize us for
our excellent track record of superior reliability and outstanding customer
service. It is an honor to support Azercosmos with this satellite, which will
expand Azerbaijan's communications infrastructure and enhance its connectivity
with other parts of the world."
Over the next few weeks, Orbital will work with the Azercosmos engineering team
to conduct in-orbit testing to verify all subsystems are operating as planned.
Once testing is complete and the spacecraft is positioned at its 46° East
Longitude orbital location, Orbital will turn over day-to-day operations of
Azerspace/Africasat-1a to Azercosmos.
Satellite command and control operations will be carried out at control centers
in Baku and Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan. These facilities were designed and built by
Azercosmos to support the installation of the ground control systems provided by
Orbital, including ground antennas, radio-frequency electronics, computer
platforms, and the software used to command, monitor and control the satellite.
Orbital designed, built and tested the Azerspace/Africasat-1a satellite in
Dulles, VA at its satellite manufacturing and test facility. With an anticipated
service life of 15 years, Azerspace/Africasat-1a is based on Orbital's flight-
proven GEOStar-2 platform. The hybrid C- and Ku-band satellite generates
approximately five kilowatts of payload power and carries 36 active
transponders, providing communications services to Azerbaijan, Europe, Africa,
Middle East and Central Asia. It will operate from 46° East Longitude through
an arrangement between Azercosmos and MEASAT Satellite Systems of Malaysia,
which owns the rights to the orbital slot.
About Azercosmos
Incorporated in 2010, the Azercosmos Open Joint Stock Company of the Ministry of
Communications and Information Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan is the
premier satellite operator in both Azerbaijan and the Caucasus region. It will
provide satellite-delivered communications services and highly reliable
satellite platforms to broadcasting, broadband and government customers with the
launch of Azerspace/Africasat-1a and other forthcoming satellite projects. More
information can be found at
www.azerbaijans.com/content_528_en.html
About Orbital
Orbital develops and manufactures small- and medium-class rockets and space
systems for commercial, military and civil government customers. The company's
primary products are satellites and launch vehicles, including low-Earth orbit,
geosynchronous-Earth orbit and planetary spacecraft for communications, remote
sensing, scientific and defense missions; human-rated space systems for Earth-
orbit, lunar and other missions; ground- and air-launched rockets that deliver
satellites into orbit; and missile defense systems that are used as interceptor
and target vehicles. Orbital also provides satellite subsystems and space-
related technical services to government agencies and laboratories. More
information about Orbital can be found at
www.orbital.com.
# # #
Contacts:
Barron Beneski (703) 406-5528
Public and Investor Relations
Orbital Sciences Corporation
beneski.barron@orbital.com
Lauren Consky
(202) 777-1565
DCI Group (for Embassy of Azerbaijan)
lconsky@dcigroup.com
A high-resolution photograph of the Azerspace/Africasat-1a satellite in
Orbital's Dulles, VA manufacturing facility is available at:
www.orbital.com/NewsInfo/ImagesMultimedia/Images/SatelliteSpaceSystems
Replays of the launch can be seen at
www.arianespace.tv/
This announcement is distributed by Thomson Reuters on behalf of
Thomson Reuters clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that:
(i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and
other applicable laws; and
(ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and
originality of the information contained therein.
Source: Orbital Sciences Corporation via Thomson Reuters ONE
[HUG#1676760]
