November 18 - Volga-Dnepr Airlines has flown the Türksat 4B communications satellite from Japan to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on board an AN-124 freighter aircraft.
The satellite was manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric in Japan for the Turkish satellite operator Türksat AS. It will be used to improve broadcasting and communication services in Turkey, Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
Volga-Dnepr explained that a special shipping container was used to secure the cargo and ensure that the necessary environmental conditions were maintained to protect the satellite's sensitive technology. During the flight from Japan the temperature was maintained at 10°С.
Although the total weight of the satellite and container was only 60 tonnes, the equipment required special care during handling due to the precision equipment on board, explained the airline.
Volga-Dnepr was also responsible for flying the empty container back from Kazakhstan to Japan.
HLPFI reported in January 2014 that Volga-Dnepr had delivered the Türksat 4A satellite, also manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric for Türksat AS, from Japan to Kazakhstan.
