You're reading: Ukraine, Russia, Canada agree to create Ukraine’s first telecom satellite in 2013

Ukrainian, Russian and Canadian participants of the international project on Ukraine's first national telecommunications satellite - the Lybid - have agreed a schedule of work on the construction and launch of the satellite in December 2013.

The document was signed following a meeting of the management of the companies involved in the project in Kyiv on May 24-26, Interfax-Ukraine learned at the State Space Agency of Ukraine.

The meeting participants included representatives of the customer of the satellite – the State Space Agency of Ukraine, the operator of the satellite – Ukraine’s state-owned enterprises Ukrkosmos, the general contractor – Canada’s MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA), a contractor for the production of the satellite’s platform – Russia’s OJSC Information Satellite Systems "Reshetnev Company" (ISS-Reshetnev), and a contractor for the satellite launch services – Russia’s Center for Ground-Based Space Infrastructure Facilities Operation. The meeting was also attended by Pivdenne Design Bureau and by Pivdenny Machine-Building Plant (Pivdenmash) (both based in Dnipropetrovsk), which work on the first and second stage of the launch vehicle (LV) for the satellite.

"The meeting participants summed up the development and approval of draft designs of the satellite and its components in view of the change in the orbital position of the satellite from 38.2 to 48 degrees eastern longitude," a representative of the State Space Agency of Ukraine said.

"As of today, the initial design of a payload of the satellite’s platform has been completed, and basic requirements for the integration of the satellite into the launch vehicle have been agreed. The adoption of technical documents and the start of the production of the satellite are scheduled for 2012," the State Space Agency reported.

A contract between MDA and National Space Agency of Ukraine about the creation of the Lybid satellite was signed in December 15, 2009. Its construction is being financed using a $254.6-million loan by Canada’s export credit agency – Export Development Canada (EDC), which was raised against government guarantees in 2009.

Recent media reports claimed that the launch of the Lybid had been postponed until 2014, due to the problems with registration of orbital slot for the satellite.