Arabsat has contracted China Great Wall Industry Corporation to build Arabsat-50, a high-power Ku-band communications satellite designed to support direct-to-home television services at the operator’s key 26° East orbital position.
The satellite will be based on China’s DFH-3E platform and is planned for launch aboard a Long March 3B rocket from Xichang. Arabsat announced the agreement during the 26th Arab Radio and Television Festival in Tunis, coinciding with the operator’s 50th anniversary.
The project is significant for broadcasters because the 26° East position is central to Arabsat’s BADR satellite neighbourhood, which distributes a substantial volume of Arabic free-to-air and pay-TV services across the region.
Its coverage includes major North African markets such as Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco, making satellite capacity at the position strategically important for broadcasters and television platforms serving Arabic-speaking audiences.
Arabsat-50 is also being designed to provide fleet-wide backup and disaster-recovery capabilities. Its flexible architecture will allow beams and channel frequencies to be redistributed while in orbit, giving Arabsat greater flexibility in managing capacity and responding to service disruptions.
The satellite therefore represents more than a straightforward replacement of existing capacity. Its planned capabilities point to a broader focus on network resilience, capacity management and continuity for broadcasters relying on the 26° East position.
Arabsat and China Great Wall Industry Corporation have not disclosed the satellite’s transponder count, contract value, contract term or expected launch date.
