Egypt has launched Nilesat 301, another communications satellite.
It was launched with a Falcon 9 rocket by SpaceX from pad 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, on 8 June, 2022.
The launch was through a geostationary transfer orbit to its orbital slot of 7 degrees West.
Built by Thales Alenia Space of France, Nilesat 301 has a launch mass of 4,100 kg (9,000 lb), a design life of 15 years and 32 ku band and 6 ka band transponders.
It will provide high-speed data relay and television across the Middle East and Africa.
This is NileSat’s fourth launched satellite and Africa’s 48th satellite.
Nilesat launched Africa’s first communications satellite, Nilesat 101, on 28 April, 1998.
It was decommissioned in February, 2013.
Then, there was Nilesat 102, 103, and 201.
Nilesat 103 was not launched by Nilesat, but leased from Eutelsat.
It was launched on 27 February, 1998 with Ariane rocket in Kourou, French Guiana and operated for 17 years.
It operated on Longitude 13 degrees East as Hot Bird 4 from 1998 to 2005 for Eutelsat.
In September, 2005 Nilesat leased it from Eutelsat and it was moved to Longitude 7 degrees West (the longitude of all Nilesat satellites) in 2006 where it served from April 22 that year till 2009 as Nilesat 103.
Following the re-branding of Eutelsat in 2012, Nilesat 103 is sometimes referred to as Atlantic Bird 4.
It was moved finally, to Longitude 16 degrees East in 2009 and served as Eurobird 16 till 2012 and Eutelsat 16B till 2015 when it was retired.
Nilesat 201 was launched on 4 August, 2010 with Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana and is to be replaced by Nilesat 301 when it retires in 2028.
