Azerbaijan, a leader country in the region for the development of the IT sector, has launched work on construction of Azerspace-2, Azerbaijan's second telecommunications satellite.

Deputy Communications and High-Tech Minister Iltimas Mammadov said that about 20 percent of total work on construction of the second satellite has been completed.

“Launch preparation of the Azerspace-2, which is scheduled for 2017, is being carried out on schedule,” he said.

The satellite Azerspace-2 is designing and building by the U.S. company Space Systems Loral (SSL).

It’s design is based on the highly reliable SSL 1300 satellite platform that provides the flexibility for a broad range of applications and technology advances. The satellite Azerspace-2 will be financed by Export Development Canada, the Canadian export credit agency, with long-term soft loan.

Under the strategic agreement with Intelsat, the world’s leading provider of satellite services, the satellite will be located at the 45 degrees east orbital location where it will provide service in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Azercosmos, the national satellite operator of Azerbaijan and the premier satellite operator in the Caucasus, was established in 2010.

Azerspace-2 will be Azercosmos’ second telecommunications satellite, and will expand on the current capacity of Azerspace-1, which was launched in 2013.

It will support growing demand for DTH, government, and network services in Europe, Central and South Asia, the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The new satellite will provide Azercosmos with additional capacity for the increasing demand in the region, and will allow to continue to bring the best service to its customers.

In December 2014, Azercosmos took over the rights to operate and commercialize Azersky, high resolution optical Earth observation satellite, and entered into the commercial business of Earth observation services, including Geo-Information services.