UAE's second satellite ready to launch

The UAE's second satellite proposed for space is in final stages of launch preparations, said owners Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) on Wednesday. After its launch was bumped to a later date due to delays of a separate satellite in the queue, the Yahsat satellite has been transported from France to Kazakhstan where it will be fired into the blue yonder possibly by next week. The satellite has been "moved to its final position on land for its successful launch into space next week," said the company in a statement on Wednesday. "Set to launch on April 24, Yahsat's Y1B satellite will go through a series of vigorous functional tests and launch rehearsals before the rocket is armed and moved into position to take off." The new satellite weights more than 6,000 kilograms, has a spacecraft power of 14 W and is designed to stay in orbit for the next 15 years. Once operational, the satellite will provide government and commercial applications such as YahClick, a newly offered satellite broadband service. The company said that the Y1B "will provide broadband satellite communication, Internet and corporate data transfer services across the Middle East, Africa, and South West Asia." Yahsat said its newest satellite will offer a number of services including "voice, data, video and internet connectivity solutions designed to accommodate the demand for emerging applications in the satellite industry including satellite broadband, HDTV and various other satellite services."