Oman has been granted ITU permission to initially launch a small satellite to be placed in geostationary orbit at 73.5 degrees East. The satellite is described as a “temporary” craft, but it will be followed by a larger craft.

But Oman must move very quickly, and get the small satellite into position by this coming December, and to meanwhile contract with a satellite builder to construct a Ka-band high-throughput craft which will be launched during 2028. If Oman does not get the temporary satellite in position by December then it would lose its rights to the orbital position.

Oman issued a tender document for the temporary satellite in October last year. The order went to Infinite Orbits of France which will supply a Orbit Guard-2 small cubesat and launch it as part of a SpaceX ‘Bandwagon-4’ rideshare mission.

Airbus, Thales Alenia and China’s Great Wall Industry are the three bidders to build the larger follow-on satellite.

“Based on the information and supporting evidence provided, and also taking into account that it was not uncommon for launch dates to be delayed by a few days, the board concluded that the case met all the conditions to qualify as a situation of force majeure, and decided to… [grant] an extension of the regulatory time limit for bringing into uses the frequency assignments of the Omansat-73.5E satellite network to 13 December 2025,” the ITU’s Radio regulations Board said in its decision.

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Categories: Articles, Satellite

Tags: ITU, oman