Qatar set to launch first satellite in Q2 2013

Qatar’s Es\'hailSat is to launch the country’s first satellite into space in the second quarter of 2013, it has been announced at a trade event in Washington DC. The Doha-based company has chosen Arianespace, a French commercial space transportation firm, to launch its Es\'hail 1 satellite into orbit next year. The contract was signed with Arianespace at the Satellite 2012 show in Washington DC and the new satellite will serve the fast growing markets in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia. \"Es\'hail 1 is just the start of our mission to provide high quality, independent satellite services to meet Qatar\'s national stakeholder\'s interests and serve customers throughout the Middle East and North Africa,\" said Ali Ahmed Al Kuwari, CEO of Es\'hailSat. The six-tonne satellite is currently under construction in the US and will be launched from Arianespace’s space port in Kourou, French Guyana, on the east coast of South America, it was reported on Tuesday.