Volga-Dnepr Airlines has transported a Türksat 4B satellite and its special transport container to Kazakhstan.
The airline carried the communications satellite to the Baikonur Cosmodrome onboard an An-124 freighter flight from Japan and was also assigned to return the cargo container.
The satellite was manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric in Japan for the Turkish satellite operator Türksat AS.
Volga says the special shipping container secured the cargo and ensured the necessary environmental conditions were maintained to protect the satellite’s sensitive technology. During the flight from Japan the temperature was maintained at 10 degrees Celsius.
The shipment, comprising the satellite and supporting equipment, was accompanied by the manufacturer’s representatives.
Volga says the total weight of the satellite and container was 60 tonnes, space equipment is a highly sensitive cargo requiring special care during handling due to the precision equipment onboard. The actual dry weight of the Türksat 4B satellite was only several tonnes.
Volga-Dnepr Airlines transports a range of communication satellites and during its 25-year history has operated more than 4,500 flights for leaders in the aerospace industry.
