(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Qabil Ashirov read more The exchange of information with the Azersky satellite has
stopped, Azernews reports, citing The Ministry of
Digital Development and Transport (MDDT).
MDDT told that despite Azercosmos and the manufacturer of the
satellite taking measures to restore the connection with the
Azersky satellite, it was not possible to establish a connection
with the satellite.
According to the cooperation agreement signed by Azercosmos with
Airbus Defense and Space in 2014, the Azersky satellite operated in
the same orbit as the SPOT 6 satellite of Airbus Defense and Space
in the form of a single satellite cluster. According to the
agreement signed on favorable terms, even without the Azersky
satellite, Azercosmos will be able to meet the needs of local and
foreign customers from the high optical resolution satellite images
obtained through the SPOT 6 satellite. At present, the execution of
orders related to satellite images using the SPOT 6 satellite
continues with the same quality. Also, Azercosmos is able to
satisfy the needs of local institutions for higher resolution
satellite images on preferential terms within the framework of
favorable cooperation established with foreign satellite operators
in the past years.
Azersky satellite has proven itself as a commercial project, in
addition to meeting the domestic demand in the field of earth
observation and geo-information services in general, providing
support for ensuring national security, creating a scientific
research and personnel base in the space field in Azerbaijan, and
improving the international image. A total of AZN105m ($61.8m) have
been earned since the beginning of the commercial operation of the
Azersky satellite. In addition, satellite images worth AZN150m
($88m) were given to various state bodies and institutions. Thus,
the economic benefit from the satellite was 1.5 times more than the
investment.
According to the information received from the US Space
Surveillance Network, the Azersky satellite continues to fly in its
intended orbit. At present, a collision with small-sized space
debris or meteorite is considered a possible reason for the
termination of data exchange with the satellite. So, as a result of
the collision, the satellite's power supply may have failed. The US
Space Observatory currently monitors 36,500 objects in space larger
than 10 centimeters. However, according to calculations, more than
1 million objects of small size (1-10 cm) are moving around our
planet, which the Space Observation Network cannot track.
It should be noted that at the beginning of this year the BADR-6
satellites of Saudi Arabia's Arabsat company and the FM36 of
Orbcomm company of the USA, in 2021 the Chinese Yunhai 1-02
satellite, in 2019 more than 50 satellites including Intelsat's
Intelsat-29e satellite, as well as the satellites of Russia and
Turkiye completed their missions earlier than the intended
operational periods. Therefore, space property insurance is of
great importance for risk management in space activities. Azersky
satellite is insured in the amount of AZN45m ($26.5m), and work has
already begun to collect the insurance amount.
While in orbit, more than 80,000 satellite images were
downloaded from the Azersky satellite in a volume of half a
petabyte. A large archive of satellite images has been formed in
Azercosmos, which has an invaluable role in the analysis and
forecasting of changes occurring on Earth, including scientific
research. The terrestrial infrastructure and antenna systems
installed in Azerbaijan within the framework of the Azersky project
will be useful both in terms of use in the next satellite projects
and in terms of meeting the antenna needs of various foreign
satellite operators on commercial terms.
Within the framework of the first Azersky satellite project,
professional specialists in the management of remote Earth
observation satellites were trained in Azerbaijan, and the acquired
knowledge and experience paved the way for the development and
launch of new observation satellites. Azercosmos has started a new,
higher-resolution observation satellite project since last year,
which responds to the challenges of modern technological
development in accordance with the wishes of local
institutions.
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