Azerscosmos engineers visiting Orbital Sciences during the construction of the company’s last joint-satellite, Azerspace 1/Africasat 1a, collaboratively built with Measat. Photo: Azercosmos

[Via Satellite 02-17-2015] Intelsat and Azercosmos, the national satellite operator of Azerbaijan, have signed a strategic agreement at the 45 degrees east orbital position. The two companies will collaborate on the design, manufacture and operational phases of development for the Azerspace 2/Intelsat 38 satellite.

The new satellite, slated for launch in 2017, will provide continuity of service for the Intelsat 12 satellite currently stationed at 45 degrees east, an orbital location which hosts Direct-to-Home (DTH) TV platforms and provides connectivity for corporate network services in Africa. The new Intelsat 38 satellite will also provide services across Central and Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa. For Azercosmos, the new satellite offers enhanced offerings to support the growing demands in the region for DTH, government and network services currently supported by Azerspace 1.