Arianespace and Thales Alenia Space have signed a launch service-and-solutions contract for the first pan-African communications satellite, Rascom 1, Arianespace announced June 21.

Scheduled for launch into geostationary transfer orbit in the last quarter of 2007, Rascom-1 will be delivered aboard an Ariane 5 from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

Built by Thales Alenia Space as part of a turnkey contract with the Regional African Satellite Communication Organization (RascomStar-QAF), the satellite is designed with 12 Ku-band and eight C-band transponders to provide 15 years’ telecommunication services for rural Africa, plus domestic and international connections, direct TV broadcast services and Internet access.