Grace Ashiru
Thales Alenia Space built The communications satellite NILESAT 302 for the Egyptian operator NILESAT, a partnership between Leonardo (33 %), and Thales (67%). The Satellite was successfully launched at the Cape Canaveral launch pad in Florida, the United States of America on board a Falcon 9 rocket operated by SpaceX.
NILESAT 301 would strengthen its commercial leadership position in broadcast services at 7°W over MENA and open up new service areas over the Nile Basin and Southern Africa. This will be made possible by a powerful Ku-band mission.
A cutting-edge multibeam Ka-band mission will also support NILESAT in entering the broadband connectivity market for Egypt.
Thales Alenia Space was the main contractor for this project and was responsible for the satellite’s production, testing, design and in-orbit acceptance tests.
NILESAT would be able to take advantage of newer satellite control facilities that have been set up in Alexandria and Cairo. These facilities are already functional and are used to control NILESAT 201 while it is orbiting the earth.
NILESAT 201 is built on the Spacebus 4000-B2 framework. It weighs about 4MT at its initial release and is designed to last more than 15 years.
The launch of geostationary communications satellite NILESAT 301 marks Thales Alenia Space’s successful completion of its second project for NILESAT. It comes after NILESAT 201 in the series. In addition, this will be the fourth payload that Thales Alenia Space has manufactured for the Egyptian operator.
Hervé Derrey, the Chief Executive Officer at Thales Alenia Space, says, “They are happy to continue to help NILESAT grow by delivering personalized satellite products with excellent performance.”This shows that our communication system perfectly meets the telecom market’s needs and that we can deliver personalized solutions that satisfy the specific requirements of each operator, close the digital divide and improve global connectivity.
Egypt is widely regarded as one of the most technologically advanced nations in Africa and the Middle East regarding space technology. Thales has been in Egypt for many years, helping customers with Transportation Space, Defense, Digital Identity, Security, and Aerospace. We’ve been there for a long time and have a lot of experience. Sherif Barakat, the Chief Executive Officer of Thales in Egypt, said, “
To be a part of a project like this is an honour and a source of pride for all of us. We are delighted that NILESAT 301 was successfully launched.
