Azercosmos is Azerbaijan’s state satellite operator, created by presidential order in 2010 to make sure the country had its own orbital assets instead of renting capacity from others. It is run as a state enterprise, formally under the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport, but in practice managed as a government-controlled utility.

The fleet is modest. Azerspace-1, launched in 2013 on an Ariane 5, carries C-band and Ku-band payloads and covers Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of Africa. Azerspace-2, launched in 2018 as a shared platform with Intelsat (marketed as Intelsat-38 on the same bus), adds Ku-band capacity reaching South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Azercosmos also acquired an Earth observation satellite, Azersky (originally SPOT-7 from Airbus), but its role has been limited and reports suggest it is no longer operational.

The business model is standard for a small state operator. They lease transponders to broadcasters, ISPs, and regional telecoms, with government and defense clients making up the stable end of the revenue stream. They also run a teleport near Baku and provide managed services through that ground infrastructure. Internationally, they try to position themselves as a regional hub linking Europe, Africa, and Asia, though in practice their customer base is thin and highly dependent on state contracts.

Azercosmos supplements operations with diplomacy and outreach. Hosting IAC in Baku in 2023 was about signaling that Azerbaijan wants a seat in global space politics. They run education and innovation programs as a way of building domestic credibility, though none of that changes the fundamentals of the business.

The limitations are clear. With only two active GEO satellites, no LEO play, and limited ability to finance new platforms independently, Azercosmos is a regional capacity lessor rather than a growth story. It delivers sovereignty and political value to Azerbaijan but is not positioned to expand beyond that. Its purpose is to keep the country’s orbital slots filled and its communications independent, not to disrupt or compete globally.