Arabsat Unveils New Satellite “Arabsat-50”
Marking a new milestone as it celebrates its 50th anniversary, ARABSAT has announced the signing of an agreement with China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) to manufacture its new satellite, “ARABSAT-50,” reflecting the transition of five decades of achievement into a new phase of advancing its space capabilities and enhancing the sustainability of its services.
ARABSAT-50 holds special significance in ARABSAT’s journey, with its name coinciding with the organization’s golden jubilee and bringing together a 50-year legacy of Arab space endeavors with an ambition for a more advanced, flexible, and sustainable future.
ARABSAT-50 is a high-power Ku-band satellite designed to provide immediate and effective sustainability to support and ensure the continuity of Direct-to-Home (DTH) television broadcasting services at the 26° East orbital position. This enhances the quality of the distinctive and specialized services provided by ARABSAT to satellite television broadcasting customers and delivers ready-to-use, integrated technical solutions for government and private media channels in the Middle East. ARABSAT-50 is being developed in partnership with CGWIC based on the DFH-3E platform, which has proven its reliability in space, providing an integrated solution that combines high reliability, sustainability, operational efficiency, and economic viability.
ARABSAT-50 also enhances continuity and disaster recovery plans by providing flexible backup solutions to support operations across ARABSAT’s satellite fleet orbital positions, particularly at 26° East, addressing ARABSAT’s future Ku-band requirements. Its design incorporates operational flexibility that enables the redistribution or modification of beam and channel frequencies according to operational requirements, enhancing capacity management efficiency and ensuring service continuity.
ARABSAT-50 represents the beginning of a new chapter in ARABSAT’s journey. After five decades of building a leading presence in the space and satellite broadcasting sector, ARABSAT is moving toward the next 50 years with a vision founded on innovation, sustainability, and the development of a more flexible and efficient space infrastructure.
ARABSAT-50 | 50 Years of Achievement… A New Satellite for the Future.
ABOUT ARABSAT:
Established in 1976, Arabsat is an initiative launched by 21 Arab countries and is wholly owned by the Arab League. It is considered the first provider of satellite services in the Arab world and enjoys an advanced position among satellite operators globally.
Thanks to a fleet of 8 satellites, equipped with state-of-the-art technologies, Arabsat is adept at providing a full spectrum TV and radio broadcast, telecommunications, broadband, advanced data transmission network solutions, and a range of satellite ecosystem services as well as multi-channel communications services, in addition to Internet services for government and commercial entities around the MENA region.
Arabsat provides satellite and Internet broadcast services for more than 260 encrypted television networks and HD channels. It provides its services through advanced technologies, ensuring the highest quality to over 650 TV channels and more than 245 radio stations, reaching tens of millions of households in more than 100 countries in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and Central Asia. These channels and stations are followed by more than 300 million viewers in 21 Arab countries.
Arabsat seeks to empower itself as the world’s best satellite operator. To do so, it follows an approach based on passion, stimulating innovation, and developing partnerships with the most prestigious satellite companies worldwide. This approach enabled Arabsat to acquire Hellasat, the most prominent satellite company in Southeastern Europe. In addition, Arabsat signed agreements with value-added services integration and advanced technology companies, which paved the way to launch Badr 8, the latest seventh generation satellite in its fleet. Furthermore, Arabsat aspires to launch more satellites equipped with optical communications technologies, which represent a real addition to the Arab satellite communications ecosystem.
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