French Arianespace company will launch the Azerbaijani second telecommunication satellite “Azerspace-2 / Intelsat 38” into orbit, Elmir Velizade, Azerbaijani Deputy Minister of Communications and High Technologies, said Dec.1 at a press-conference dedicated to the opening of the BakuTel-2015 exhibition.

He said that Arianespace company has won Azercosmos’s tender to put the second telecommunication satellite into orbit.

“The Azerbaijani first satellite was also put in orbit by Arianespace company,” he said. “We expect that Azercosmos will sign another contract with this company.”

The satellite will be put into orbit in 2017.

The satellite will be located at the 45 degrees east orbital location leased by the Azerbaijani side from the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization Intelsat which is the leaseholder of 45.9 percent of the satellite’s resources. The service area of Azerspace-2 will cover Europe, South-East Asia, Middle East and Africa.

A subsidiary of Canadian MDA corporation – Space Systems Loral (SSL) will construct the Azerbaijani second telecommunication satellite and supply the equipment for the ground control station.

The Azerbaijani second satellite program will cost $191.36 million.

The program will be financed by a long-term and concessional credit line of the Export Development Canada (EDC).

Azerspace/Africasat-1a was launched into the orbit from the ELA-3 launch complex of the Guiana Space Centre on February 8, 2013 on the Ariane 5 ECA carrier rocket of the French company, Arianespace.