The first two Saudi Arabian national satellites will tentatively be launched on August 25 from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan.
The satellites will be put into orbit by an RS-20 rocket, a modified intercontinental ballistic missile, a source at the Baikonur Federal Space Center told Interfax-Kazakhstan.
Preparations for the launch are being headed by Saudi Prince Turki Saud Mohammad Al-saud, the director of the space research institute, who arrived at Baikonur last Wednesday.
A Malaysian and two Italian satellites will also be put into orbit using the RS-20 rocket.
Work on setting up the highly effective Dnepr rocket carrier based on the RS-20 intercontinental ballistic missile to place objects in the upper layer of the Earth’s atmosphere began in 1992. The Russian-Ukrainian joint venture Kosmotras was set up to carry out this program.
After the first launch of the modified RS-20 rocket in April last year, when a British heavy satellite was launched into orbit, Kazakhstan became a full partner in Kosmotras.
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