On arrival in Kazakhstan, the Y1B satellite,
which was air-freighted by the world's biggest
aircraft built in Europe (Antonov), will receive
additional testing before it is moved to its final
launch position. The Y1B will be launched by an
ILS Proton Breeze M vehicle in April 2012.
The Y1B weighs more than 6,000 kg, features a
spacecraft power of 14kW and has a 15-year designed
lifetime. It is equipped with a commercial multi-beam
payload in Ka-band, which will be used to provide
a variety of government and commercial applications,
including YahClick, a new affordable satellite
broadband service.
"The Yahsat team appreciates the hard work
of the teams at EADS Astrium and Thales Alenia
Space to successfully deliver the construction
of Y1B and delivery to the launch site,"
said Yahsat CEO, Tareq Abdul Raheem Al Hosani.
"The successful launch of Y1B will be a key
milestone in the development of Yahsat. It will
significantly expand our satellite communication
capabilities, which will consequently provide
a positive impact on our unique business proposition,"
he concluded.
Yahsat's first satellite, Y1A, which is currently
in geostationary orbit, was successfully launched
in April 2011 by Arianespace. It provides a number
of strategic communications services for both
governmental and commercial customers across the
Middle East, Africa, Europe and South West Asia.
(Emirates News Agency,
WAM)
|