Turkmensat 1

Turkmensat 1 [Thales Alenia]

The government of Turkmenistan has contracted in November 2011 with Thales Alenia Space to build the nation’s first, yet unnamed, telecommunications satellite, to be launched in 2014 into an orbital slot controlled by the government of Monaco.

The decision to move forward with the national satellite project follows the creation in early 2011 of a Turkmen space agency, whose mandate includes satellite communications and the operation of the spacecraft from Turkmen territory.

The Turkmen Ministry of Communications signed an agreement with Space Systems International-Monaco S.A.M. under which the Turkmen satellite will be stationed at the Monaco-registered 52° east for its 15-year service life. The satellite is expected to weigh about 4,500 kilograms at launch, provide 10 kilowatts of power to the payload and to carry an undetermined number of Ku-band transponders.