TurkmenAlem52E/MonacoSAT

TurkmenAlem52E/MonacoSAT
Mission type Communications
Operator Turkmenistan National Space Agency
COSPAR ID 2015-023A
SATCAT № 40617
Mission duration 15 years
Spacecraft properties
Bus Spacebus-4000C2[1]
Manufacturer Thales Alenia Space
Launch mass 4,707 kilograms (10,377 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date 27 April 2015, 23:03 (2015-04-27UTC23:03Z) UTC
Rocket Falcon 9 v1.1
Launch site Cape Canaveral SLC-40
Contractor SpaceX
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Geostationary
Longitude 52° East
Eccentricity 0.0001353[2]
Perigee 35,775 kilometres (22,230 mi)[2]
Apogee 35,786 kilometres (22,236 mi)[2]
Inclination 0.03 degrees[2]
Period 1435.81 minutes[2]
Epoch 7 May 2015, 02:24:00 UTC[2]

TurkmenAlem52E/MonacoSAT[3]—formerly referred to as TurkmenSat 1[4]—is Turkmenistan's first satellite,[5] and was built by Thales Alenia Space. Launched on 27 April 2015 aboard a Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket, the satellite has an anticipated service life of 15 years.[1][6]

Once operational, the satellite will cover Europe and significant part of Asian countries and Africa with downlink and uplink satellite communication services, having transmission for television, radio broadcasting and the internet.[7]

The satellite's operations will be controlled by the state-run Turkmenistan National Space Agency.[8]The satellite's official name is TurkmenAlem52E/MonacoSat.

Launch

Launch of Falcon 9 carrying TurkmenAlem52E/MonacoSAT

The initial launch date of TurkmenAlem52E/MonacoSAT was planned to be March 21, 2015. The original launch date was delayed to study a problem with a helium pressurization system on the Falcon 9 rocket. A new launch date was set for no earlier than 24 April 2015,[3][9] SpaceX clarified the reason for the delay: "the issue wasn’t with the [helium] bottles themselves, but rather other bottles from a similar lot that failed testing at the company’s assembly plant. ... We identified a potential condition that could be shared with those on board the Thales vehicle."[3] which was subsequently adjusted by three days to 27 April 2015.

Banning of satellite dishes in Turkmenistan

Despite the impending launch of TurkmenAlem52E/MonacoSAT in April 2015, the Turkmen government banned all satellite dishes in Turkmenistan, also in April 2015. The statement issued by the government indicated that all existing satellite dishes would have to be removed or destroyed, in an effort by the government to fully block access of the population to many "hundreds of independent international media outlets which are currently accessible in the country only through satellite dishes, including all leading international news channels in different languages. The main target of this campaign is Azatlyk Radiosy, the Turkmen-language service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. It is the only independent source of information about Turkmenistan and the world in the Turkmen language and is widely listened to in the country."[10]


See also

References

  1. 1 2 "TurkmenAlem52E/MonacoSAT launch a success!". Thales Alenia Space. 28 April 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Peat, Chris (10 May 2015). "TurkmenAlem52E - Orbit". Heavens-Above. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 "SpaceX Clarifies Reason For TurkmenAlem52E Launch Delay". ZeroG News. 2015-03-23. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  4. ↑ "Satellite Orders Report - 2011 Year-end Summary" (PDF). Futron. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  5. ↑ "Туркменистан: золотой век". Turkmenistan.gov.tm. 2013-12-17. Retrieved 2015-03-08.
  6. ↑ "SpaceX To Launch Turkmenistan's First Satellite". Forbes. 2013-06-22. Retrieved 2015-03-08.
  7. ↑ "US Says SpaceX to Launch Turkmenistan's Maiden Satellite / Sputnik International". En.ria.ru. 2013-11-12. Retrieved 2015-03-08.
  8. ↑ "Turkmenistan to launch first space satellite in 2014". En.trend.az. Retrieved 2015-03-08.
  9. ↑ http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/03/21/spacex-swaps-order-of-next-two-falcon-9-launches/
  10. ↑ Forrester, Chris (22 April 2015). "Satellite dishes banned in Turkmenistan". Advanced Television. Retrieved 24 April 2015. he government is demanding all dishes to be removed from apartments of private properties and has fully “prohibited” their use. ...almost every home in the nation has a dish, legally acquired over the past 20 years of satellite broadcasting.

Links

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