Azerbaijan, Egypt explore opportunities for aerospace cooperation

Minister of Transport and Digital Development of Azerbaijan Rashad Nabiyev said on July 25 at an event on the occasion of the national holiday of the Arab Republic of Egypt - Revolution Day that Azerbaijan and Egypt are exploring the potential for cooperation in the aerospace industry.

According to him, negotiations are currently underway between Azercosmos and the Egyptian Space Agency.

"I think this is an important addition to the existing agreements with some Egyptian companies on the satellite potential of Azerbaijan," Nabiyev said, per APA.

Azercosmos is the one and only satellite operator in the South Caucasus region. The company currently operates two telecommunication and one observation satellite. Azerspace-1 is the primary satellite of Azercosmos, providing highly reliable broadband and broadcast solutions to millions of people living in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. The satellite launched in February 2013 is equipped with 24 C-band transponders and 12 Ku-band transponders and is located at 46° East longitude.

Since December 2014, Azercosmos has operated and commercialized Azersky, a high-resolution optical Earth observation satellite. In 2018, Azercosmos sent Azerspace-2 into a geostationary orbit at 45° East longitude. It renders uninterrupted digital broadcasting, data transmission, and other services across Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Azerspace-2 is also used as a backup for Azerspace-1.

Azercosmos cooperates with numerous companies such as the US-based HorizonSat, UtiSat of the United Arab Emirates, and German satellite communication solutions and data company Signalhorn.

Meanwhile, Minister Nabiyev said negotiations continue with Egyptian companies on the possibility of entering the Azerbaijani market.

He recalled the Azerbaijani-Egyptian business forum attended by business representatives from the two countries last year, saying such initiatives strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries.

"Thus, in the first six months of 2023, the volume of trade turnover between our countries increased by 10% compared to the corresponding period last year," Nabiyev concluded.