An Ariane 5 rocket stands ready for launch at the Guiana Space Center near Kourou, French Guiana, ahead of the VA250 mission to launch the TIBA 1 and Inmarsat GX5 communications satellites into orbit. (Image credit: Arianespace)
CAIRO – 22 November 2019: Egypt’s first telecommunications satellite, namely
Tiba- 1, will be launched within the last hours of Friday from a space centre in French Guiana, on the northeast coast of South America.
The launch will be broadcast live at 11:08 pm GMT.
Tiba-1 s expected to provide and boost internet and telecommunication services across Egypt.
Launching Tiba 1 will also contribute to developing health, education, and energy fields, not to mention improving services in government sectors across Egypt.
It is named after Thebes or Tiba in Arabic, an ancient Egyptian capital the ruins of which lie within the modern southern city of Luxor.
The 5.6-tonne satellite made by Airbus and Thales Alenia Space (TAS) will remain in orbit for at least 15 years to provide “every inch” of Egypt with call and internet services, state officials said.
The Egyptian Space Agency will run the satellite from a control center in Cairo.
Egyptian communications minister Amr Talaat said in a statement the satellite “represents a significant qualitative leap in the field of communications and information technology (ICT)”.
Tiba-1’s coverage area includes some neighboring Arab and African countries and Egypt may sell them satellite services in future.
TIBA-1 will occupy the upper passenger position in Ariane 5’s dual-payload configuration on the upcoming mission, which is designated Flight VA250 in Arianespace’s numbering system.
Based on the Eurostar E3000 satellite platform, TIBA-1 was developed by Airbus for operation by the government of Egypt and Thales Alenia Space.
This communications spacecraft will weigh approximately 5,640 kg. at liftoff and was designed for a service life exceeding 15 years.
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