F a c t s h e e t f a c t s a t a g L a n c e

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F A C T   S H E E T

F A C T S   A T   A   G L A N C E

Coverage:

Azerbaijan, Central Asia, Europe and Africa

Mission:

C- and Ku-band communications

Customer:

Azercosmos OJSCo.

Mission Description

Under a contract with The Ministry of Communications and Information 

Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan (the Ministry), Orbital ATK designed 

and built the Azerspace/Africasat-1a commercial communications satellite. 

Based on Orbital ATK’s flight-proven GEOStar

™

-2 platform, the hybrid C- 

and Ku-band satellite generates approximately five kilowatts of payload 

power and carries 36 active transponders. Azerspace/Africasat-1a provides 

communications services to Azerbaijan, Central Asia, Europe, and Africa from 

an orbital location at 46 degrees East Longitude through an arrangement 

between the Ministry and Measat of Malaysia, which owns the rights to the 

orbital slot.

The GEOStar

™

 Advantage

Orbital ATK’s highly successful Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) 

communications satellites are based on the company’s GEOStar 

spacecraft platform, which is able to accommodate all types of commercial 

communications payloads and is compatible with all major commercial 

launchers. The company’s GEOStar product line includes the GEOStar-2 

design, which is optimized for smaller satellite missions that can support up 

to 5.0 kilowatts of payload power. Orbital ATK has also developed the higher-

power GEOStar-3 spacecraft design, delivering the next increment of payload 

power for applications between 5.0 and 8.0 kilowatts, allowing Orbital ATK 

to offer its innovative and reliable satellite design to the medium-class of 

communications satellites.

Azerspace/Africasat-1a

Hybrid C-band and Ku-band Commercial Communications Satellite

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OrbitalATK.com

©2015 Orbital ATK. All Rights Reserved.   FS005_10_OA_3695

Azerspace/Africasat-1a

Coverage Contour Maps

Ku-band EIRP Contours – 11.2 GHz

East (Central Asia)                      West (Europe)

Ku-band G/T Contours – 14.0 GHz

East (Central Asia)  

       West (Europe)

C-band EIRP Contours – 3,740 MHz

Africa and Europe  

      Central Asia and Europe

C-band G/T Contours – 5,965 MHz

Africa and Europe  

      Central Asia and Europe

Specifications

Spacecraft

Launch Mass: 

3,275 kg (7,220 lb.) 

Solar Arrays: 

 Four panels per array, UTJ Gallium  

Arsenide cells 

Stabilization: 

3-axis stabilized; zero momentum system 

Propulsion: 

 Liquid bi-propellant transfer orbit system; 

monopropellant (hydrazine) on-orbit system 

Batteries: 

Two >4840 W-Hr capacity Li-Ion batteries 

Mission Life: 

15 years 

Orbit: 46

°

 East Longitude 

Hybrid Payload

C-band 

Repeater:  

24 active transponders 

Antenna:   

 2.5 x 2.7 m single shell super-elliptical 

deployable reflector; 1.4 x 1.4 m single shell 

super-elliptical deck-mounted 

Ku-band 

Repeater:  

12 active transponders 

Antenna:  

 2.5 x 2.7 m single shell super-elliptical 

deployable reflector 

Launch

Launch Vehicle:  

Ariane 5 

Site:  

Kourou, French Guiana

Date:  

February 7, 2013

Mission Partners

Azercosmos OJSCo.

Orbital ATK

Prime Contractor for the Azersapce/Africasat-1a spacecraft 

and ground system