6 days & 9 hours to launch
SES Astra Monacosat / Turkmansat 1 has been a long while waiting for launch with several changes over the last 4 years,
"The government of Turkmenistan has contracted in November 2011 with Thales Alenia Space to build the nation’s first telecommunications satellite, named TurkmenÄlem 52E, to be launched in 2014 into an orbital slot controlled by the government of Monaco. The satellite is erroneously also known as Turkmensat-1.
The decision to move forward with the national satellite project follows the creation in early 2011 of a Turkmen space agency, whose mandate includes satellite communications and the operation of the spacecraft from Turkmen territory.
The Turkmen Ministry of Communications signed an agreement with Space Systems International-Monaco S.A.M. under which the Turkmen satellite will be stationed at the Monaco-registered 52° east position (also known as Monacosat 1) for its 15-year service life. SES has the rights to commercialise the entire MonacoSat payload of 12 Ku-band transponders on the TurkmenÄlem 52E satellite.
The satellite is expected to weigh about 4,500 kilograms at launch, provide 10 kilowatts of power to the payload and to carry an undetermined number of Ku-band transponders.
Originally scheduled for a launch on a Chinese CZ-3B/G2 booster, it was moved in June 2013 to a SpaceX Falcon-9 v1.1 launch in 2014. Due changes made to ITAR, the move was required, as some US made parts could no longer be exported to China for launch."
