• “Azercosmos” Open Joint Stock Company
• Azerspace/Africasat-1A satellite
• Azerspace/Africasat-1A and GNSS application
• Attitude determination using GNSS
• Cooperation and training
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Azercosmos Open Joint Stock Company was established
in:
• 3
th
May 2010 by the Decree of the President of the Republic of
Azerbaijan
to:
• Launch the Azerbaijani telecommunication satellites into orbit
• Organize further management and operation
• Provide satellite communications services
Azercosmos is also responsible for:
• Launching the remote sensing satellites
• Launching other telecommunications satellites
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Satellite manufacturer: Orbital Sciences Corporation
Bus: STAR – 2.4
Stabilization: 3-axis stabilized
Launch vehicle: Ariane – 5 ECA
Site: Kourou, French Guiana
Launch date: Q4 2012
Service life: 15 years (designed)
Payload power: 5 KWt
Transponders: 24 C-band, 12 Ku-band
Location: 46 degrees East longitude
4
If L is the baseline vector between two such antenna, and e is the unit vector along the line of sight
to a GPS satellite P, then the range from P to each of the antenna differs by an amount
δρ=L.e=Lcosθ
Spacecraft
θ
δρ
e
L
P
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Accuracies of the order of ~0.1 deg are possible, although this will depend on the length of
the baseline.
9
Spacecrafts use the GNSS as a navigational tool. The addition of a GNSS receiver to a
spacecraft allows precise orbit determination without ground tracking. This, in turn, enables
autonomous spacecraft navigation, formation flying and autonomous rendezvous.
Low earth orbit satellite constellations such as the one operated by Orbcomm uses GPS receivers
on all satellites.
10
Islam Ali-zada
LEO Satellite Systems Department
islam.ali-zade@azercosmos.az
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