KazSat-2 functioning normally

Kazakhstan Prime-Minister Karim Massimov wrote in his Twitter that KazSat-2 is functioning normally. The satellite was launched on July 16 from Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan, Tengrinews.kz reports. Chairman of Kazakhstan National Space Agency Talgat Mussabayev updated Karim Massimov on the satellite's state. Massimov also reminded that NASA completed its shuttle program. The shuttle will be transferred to a museum and astronauts will by delivered to the ISS only in Soyuz space shuttle. “The American shuttle completed the program. All the load now lays on Baikonur,” PM tweeted. KazSat-2 was taken to the orbit with Proton-M carrier rocket with Briz-M upper-stage rocket on July 16. American OS-2 satellite was sent to the orbit along with the Kazakh 1,330kg satellite. The control system of KazSat-2 was developed by French company EADS-Astrum. The communication and broadcast satellite coveres Kazakhstan, Central Asia and parts of Russia. Kazakh National Center of Space Communications will be operating the satellite. Director General of Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center Vladimir Nesterov said that the satellite will reach the operating point at the orbit within one month. According to Nesterov, several days will be spent testing the engines to be used to transfer the satellite to its stand point. The transfer will take from one week to one month. “After that the space craft will be tested for a month or even more before it is transferred for operation to the Kazakhstan party,” Nesterov said.