DOHA: The decks are clear for Qatar to execute its ambitious Satellite Project ‘Eshail’ announced early last year, as the country has joined the United Nations Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space.
Eshail is from the Arabic root word ‘Suhayl’ which means Canopus or the bright star Alpha in the southern constellation Argo.
Qatar Satellite Company, EshailSat, early last year selected Arianespace to launch its first satellite Eshail 1 in the current quarter (April-June) on board an Ariane 5 launcher.
The announcement was made at a Satellite 2012 show in Washington early last year.
The Emir, H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, yesterday issued a Decree (No 14 of 2013), approving Qatar joining the UN Convention (XXIX) of 1974. The decree will have the status of law, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reports.
In 2010, EshailSat inked a contract with Space Systems / Loral to build Eshail 1 which will share a spacecraft platform with the European satellite operator Eutelsat.
Eshail 1 will provide television, Internet, corporate, and government services in expanding markets across the Middle East, North Africa and beyond.
The selection of Arianespace to deliver Eshail 1 into orbit marks a step forward in the EshailSat programme to invest in and operate a high-performance satellite at 25.5° East, a well-established orbital position for television broadcast services.
The new satellite will provide further Ku-band resources for television broadcasting and will also mark the start of Ka-band services, opening up new business opportunities for EshailSat and their customers, according to details posted on the website of ictQATAR, the country’s telecom sector regulator. The six-tonne satellite will be launched from Arianespace’s space port in Kourou, French Guyana, on the east coast of South America.
Commenting on the selection of Arianespace, EshailSat’s CEO Ali Ahmed Al Kuwari said, “We are delighted that, together with Eutelsat, we have been able to select Arianespace to launch our first satellite. Eshail 1 is just the start of our mission to provide high quality, independent satellite services to meet Qatar’s national stakeholder’s interests and serve customers throughout the Middle East and North Africa.”
The Peninsula
