Yahsat orders from Orbital
September 10, 2014
By Chris Forrester
Abu Dhabi’s Yahsat-3 satellite will be built by Orbital Sciences Corp, and launched by Arianespace. The news emerged at the Paris ‘World Satellite Business Week’ event, organised by Euroconsult.
Launch date is scheduled for Q4 2016, and will be an all Ka-Band satellite covering an “extra 17 countries” mostly over Africa including Brazil and a potential 600 million users.
Masood M. Sharif Mahmood, CEO at Yahsat, said: “After a rigorous selection process, Yahsat has chosen two industry-leading organisations that will manufacture and launch our third satellite in late 2016. Having worked with Arianespace for the launch of Y1A, one of the world’s most advanced satellites currently in orbit, and with Orbital’s impressive track record of building over 150 satellites that have amassed over 1,000 years of in-orbit experience, both companies have proven their ability to meet and exceed our expectations for world class connectivity in Africa and Brazil.”
Explaining the operator’s next plan of action, he added: “Looking ahead as development and launch plans progress, Yahsat will continue to explore ground partners and distributors across both Africa and Brazil. Our aim is not just to launch a satellite, but also provide a 360 degree service platform to facilitate the distribution of broadband and connectivity services in our target markets. Part of this exercise is to ensure we build the right distribution and operational platforms within each of our markets, and we are actively engaged in identifying strong partners across both continents.”