Saudi announces launch of first communications satellite

Riyadh, Feb 6 (IANS) Saudi Arabia on Tuesday announced the launch of its first satellite for communications from the French Guiana Space Centre, Saudi Press Agency reported.Khaled bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih, minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources, said the launch aims at localising strategic technologies and enabling Saudi young people to work with state-of-the-art technologies in the field of satellite development and manufacturing, Xinhua reported.The satellite SGS-1 aims to employ advanced Ka-band capabilities to enable space communications at ultra-fast speeds, and will offer multiple applications including broadband telecommunications and secure communications for remote and disaster-stricken areas.
--IANS vc