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ARABSAT Unveils “ARABSAT-50” — A New Satellite Celebrating 50 Years of Leadership

Marking a new milestone as it celebrates its 50th anniversary, ARABSAT has announced the signing of an agreement with China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) to  manufacture its new satellite, “ARABSAT-50,” reflecting the transition of five decades of achievement into a new phase of advancing its space capabilities and enhancing the sustainability of its services.

ARABSAT-50 holds special significance in ARABSAT’s journey, with its name coinciding with the organization’s golden jubilee and bringing together a 50-year legacy of Arab space endeavors with an ambition for a more advanced, flexible, and sustainable future. 

ARABSAT-50 is a high-power Ku-band satellite designed to provide immediate and effective sustainability to support and ensure the continuity of Direct-to-Home (DTH) television broadcasting services at the 26° East orbital position. This enhances the quality of the distinctive and specialized services provided by ARABSAT to satellite television broadcasting customers and delivers ready-to-use, integrated technical solutions for government and private media channels in the Middle East. ARABSAT-50 is being developed in partnership with CGWIC based on the DFH-3E platform, which has proven its reliability in space, providing an integrated solution that combines high reliability, sustainability, operational efficiency, and economic viability.

ARABSAT-50 also enhances continuity and disaster recovery plans by providing flexible backup solutions to support operations across ARABSAT’s satellite fleet orbital positions, particularly at 26° East, addressing ARABSAT’s future Ku-band requirements. Its design incorporates operational flexibility that enables the redistribution or modification of beam and channel frequencies according to operational requirements, enhancing capacity management efficiency and ensuring service continuity.

ARABSAT-50 represents the beginning of a new chapter in ARABSAT’s journey. After five decades of building a leading presence in the space and satellite broadcasting sector, ARABSAT is moving toward the next 50 years with a vision founded on innovation, sustainability, and the development of a more flexible and efficient space infrastructure.