New Egyptian satellite to be launched by Arianespace

The European Arianespace company has announced it won a contract to launch a satellite for Egypt, to be used for telecommunications purposes.

In a statement the company said that the satellite will be launched by the middle of next year, adding that it will be carried by an Aryan 4 or Aryan 5 rocket from Kourou, in French Guyana, but gave no mention of expenditures.

Experts estimated the satellite's cost at more than US $40 million.

The French-British Matra Marconi space company is building the satellite for Egypt under the name Nile Sat 102.

The Arianespace company, which takes Paris as its headquarters, said that so far it has signed agreements to launch some 42 satellites at a cost of US $3.1 billion.