NileSat, a public-owned satellite trading company in Egypt has partnered French-based aerospace company Thales Alenia Space. The partnership is in a bid to manufacture a new geostationary communications satellite dubbed NileSat 301.
The contractual agreement was signed by Nilesat CEO Ahmed Anis and the Senior Vice President of Thales Alenia Space, Martin Van Schaik.
Founded in 1996, NileSat operates geosynchronous communications satellites and manages the ground control stations associated with these satellites. The company also uplink satellite facilities in the country.
See Also: Ethiopia Government Partners Infervision to Build National Intelligence Infrastructure
Before the partnership with Alenia, Nilesat has launched 4 satellites into space- NileSat 101,102,103,&201. Thus, the new satellite will be its 5th communication satellite. This will help the company scale communication technology in Africa.
The partnership also made Angelia the sole contractor for the manufacturing of the Communication satellite. The company will, therefore, build the satellite using its SpaceBus 4000-B2 platform, alongside the ground control infrastructure.
The NileSat 301 satellite, when built and launched in 2022, is projected to weigh 4,100 kilograms and have a15 years life span.
The satellite will also replace the NileSat-201 geostationary satellites that will retire in 2028.
It will deliver satellite broadband services in Egypt, North Africa, and the Middle east.