The opening of a new page of the modern space industry in our country is associated with the name of President Ilham Aliyev. The reconstruction of this industry and its formation on a modern basis was made possible by the long-term strategic approach of the head of state.

Thanks to President Ilham Aliyev’s decrees and recommendations, space research has been initiated in the country since 2008. On November 4, 2008, during a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, President Ilham Aliyev gave a task on “establishment of a modern aerospace industry in Azerbaijan and launch of country’s telecommunication satellite into orbit”. Implementation of the task was assigned to the Ministry of Communication and High Technologies. And in 2009 the President signed an executive order “On approval of State Program on establishment and development of space industry in the Republic of Azerbaijan”.

In accordance with the “State Program for the Establishment and Development of the Space Industry in the Republic of Azerbaijan”, approved by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2009, the implementation of modern space projects has begun in Azerbaijan. By Order No. 885 of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated May 3, 2010, the Open Joint Stock Company Azercosmos (Azercosmos OJSC) was established. In order to obtain the orbital position of the first telecommunications satellite to launch the first Telecommunications satellite into orbit on May 25, 2010 in Istanbul were signed agreements on mutual finance and manage the procurement and launch of the satellite in the orbital slot Joint use of the 46º E orbital position with the Government of Malaysia and Measat Company. On May 27, 2010 there was signed an agreement with Orbital Sciences Corporation (USA) for the production of a telecommunications satellite, and on November 5, 2010 another agreement was signed with the French company Arianespace to launch the first telecommunications satellite using an Ariane-5ECA carrier rocket. Azerbaijan’s first telecommunications satellite Azerspace-1 was launched on February 8, 2013 (at 01:36am Baku time) from the Kourou cosmodrome in French Guiana. The satellite with Azerbaijan’s tricoloured flag on was launched into orbit using the Ariane 5 launch vehicle of the French company Arianspace. The Azerspace-1 the satellite has successfully separated from the rocket 33 minutes after takeoff from the launch site. The first Azerbaijani satellite reached the designated orbit in 34 minutes and 56 seconds after launch.

On 8 February 2013 President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and first lady Mehriban Aliyeva attended the inauguration of the new administration building of Azercosmos Open Joint-Stock Company and watched the launch live from the new headquarters.

Due to Azerspace-1’s advanced technological design and flexible connection options, millions of people around the world have access to sustainable information and communication services. Azerspace-1 provides highly reliable satellite broadcasting, DTH (Direct-to-Home), voice, video and data services. The satellite serves as an important transmitter of information in a single space connecting more than 50 countries in Africa, Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East.

Recommended literature:

1. Niyazov, Xalid Qüdrət oğlu. Dövlət informasiya siyasəti və informasiya hüququ : monoqrafiya / X. Q. Niyazov ; elmi red. A. İ. Mustafazadə ; AMEA Hüquq və İnsan Haqları İnstitutu. - Bakı : Elm və təhsil, 2017. - 412 s.
2. Каграманзаде, Абдул Гамидулла оглы. Основы развития инфокоммуникации Азербайджана / А. Г. Каграманзаде. - Баку : Элм, 2003. - 191 с.
3. Каграманзаде, Абдул Гамидулла оглы. Этапы развития телекоммуникации Азербайджана / А. Г. Каграманзаде. - Баку : Элм, 2011. - 726 с.