Arianespace and Thales Alenia Space have entered a deal for launching the pan-African communications satellite, Rascom-QAF 1R.

It is scheduled for launch into geostationary transfer orbit in 2010. It will be launched by an Ariane 5 or Soyuz rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, South America.

Rascom-QAF 1R, built by Thales Alenia Space as part of a turnkey contract with the Regional African Satellite Communication Organization (RascomStar-QAF), will provide telecommunication services in rural areas of Africa over a period of 15 years, along with domestic and international connections, direct TV broadcast services and Internet access.

Based on a Spacebus 4000B3 platform, Rascom-QAF 1R will be equipped with 12 Ku-band transponders and eight C-band transponders. Replacing Rascom-QAF 1, it will be positioned at 2.85 degrees East. The satellite will weigh about 3,200 kg at launch, and offer 6.4 kW of end-of-life power