Yahsat to launch second satellite next month

Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) has overseen the transportation of its second satellite Y1B from EADS Astrium facilities in Toulouse, France, to the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. 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.