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Russian rocket with Egypt telecommunications satellite to be launched from Baikonur

This will be the second Egyptian telecommunications satellite equipped with advanced technologies for taking visible-range and infrared photographs
A Russian rocket Soyuz-U ITAR-TASS/Sergey Kazak
A Russian rocket Soyuz-U
© ITAR-TASS/Sergey Kazak

MOSCOW, April 16. /ITAR-TASS/. A Russian rocket Soyuz-U with Egyptian telecommunications satellite Egypt-sat is due to be launched from the 31st launching pad of spaceport Baikonur on Wednesday, a source in Russian space agency Roscosmos told ITAR-TASS.

“The launch is scheduled at 8.20pm Moscow time (4.20pm GMT) on Wednesday, the satellite is due to separate from the rocket at 8.28pm (4.28pm GMT),” the source said.

This will be the second Egyptian telecommunications satellite equipped with advanced technologies for taking visible-range and infrared photographs. The data will be used in agricultural, geological and ecological research.

The first telecommunications satellite Egypt-sat-1 was launched from spaceport Baikonur on April 17, 2007. However, the contact with it was lost in 2011. Egyptian specialists said then that this was an experimental project with an expected satellite’s service life of no more than three years. Scientists affirm that the new satellite can fulfil its tasks for more than five years.