Turkmenistan has acquired its communications satellite in Earth orbit – BBC News

The US company SpaceX successfully launched on Monday in space with the help of the carrier rocket Falcon 9 first Turkmen communications satellite. The start was carried out with the US Air Force base located near the launch site at Cape Canaveral (Florida).

As expected, the unit “TurkmenAlem” will bring into orbit around 30 minutes after the start. It should be placed in the position of 52 degrees east longitude, at a distance of 35,786 kilometers from the Earth’s surface. Estimated lifetime of about 15 years. The unit should be the first communications satellite of Turkmenistan. Now the country is served by Russian satellite “Yamal”, owned by “Gazprom Space Systems”.

Start postponed several times. It was originally scheduled for March 21, but was postponed due to technical problems that did not allow for engine test booster. The last time it was planned to launch on March 30, but the start was again postponed, according to TASS.

In 2009, the President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov announced the decision to launch a national communications satellites. His presence, according to the head

of state, will give a powerful impetus to the accelerated development of the country’s communication systems, Internet and television, as well as contribute to a number of national programs. In 2011, the French company “Thales Alenia Space” started work on the design, construction and commissioning of the Turkmen satellite. It is based on the unit “Spacebus-4000″, designed to broadcast high definition signals.