Qatar's First Satellite Es'hail 1 Arrives in French Guiana

Doha, July 29 (QNA) - Qatar Satellite Company Es'hailSat Monday announced the arrival of the Es'hail 1 satellite at the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, an overseas region of France on the north Atlantic coast of South America, ahead of its launch on August 29. Es'hail 1, Qatar's first satellite, is now undergoing final preparations at the European Spaceport for a launch aboard an Ariane 5 rocket. Lift-off is planned on August 29 during a launch window opening at 11:30pm and closing at 12.20am Doha time. Commenting on the forthcoming launch, Es'hailSat's Chief Executive Officer Ali Ahmed Al Kuwari said, "Es'hail is the name of a star which becomes visible in the night sky in this part of the world around the end of August. "Traditionally, the sighting of Es'hail marks the beginning of most enjoyable weather conditions in the region and we are eagerly awaiting the launch of Es'hail 1 our new star over Qatar." Built by Space Systems Loral (SSL), a leading provider of commercial satellites, Es'hail 1 is designed to provide television broadcasting, telecommunications and government services in the Middle East and North Africa. Broadcasting from the premium hot spot neighbourhood of 25.5 degrees East and addressing the growing demand for HDTV, Es'hailSat will provide much needed additional capacity for TV channels. Viewers will be able to receive richer, more diversified content without installing a new dish. Weighing almost six tons, Es'hail 1 has four steerable spot beam antennas and four deployable reflectors along with advanced command and telemetry capabilities. It is based on the highly reliable SSL 1300 platform and provides the flexibility to support a broad range of applications and technology advances. The spacecraft is designed to operate in orbit for 15 years or more. (QNA)