USTA-ARMENIA SATELLITE AND SPACE PROJECT IN GARNI WOULD PRODUCE COMMERCIAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL BENEFITS AND ADVANCEMENT
YEREVAN (Armenpress)–US ambassador to Armenia John Ordway and Armenian Space Research Center director Vahe Gurzadyan signed a grant agreement on Tuesday–whereby the US trade and development Agency (USTDA) will provide $274,980 for a feasibility study on a satellite and space project based in Garni–Armenia. The grant signing took place at the conclusion of the biannual meeting of the US-Armenia Task force on economic cooperation in Yerevan.
The USTDA-funded study will examine the technical–economic and financial aspects of the proposed project to establish a satellite earth station and space ultraviolet telescope.
A committee established by the Space Research Center will select a US firm–by a bidding process–to conduct the study.
The project will capitalize on Armenia’s strength in both the information technology sector and in scientific research and holds both commercial and scientific benefits.
The project will be developed in two phases. The construction and operation of a satellite receiving and control station to operate on a commercial basis will complete the first phase–and the second will involve the design–development and installation of a space ultraviolet telescope. One of the key goals of the second phase is to produce an Ultraviolet Sky atlas–to greatly contribute to the filed of modern astrophysics.