New ‘LYBID’ space satellite payload flies to Russia with Volga-Dnepr Airlines

Volga-Dnepr Airlines has delivered the Ukrainian «Lybid» satellite payload, from Montreal Canada to Krasnoyarsk Russia, onboard one of its IL-76TD-90VD freighter aircraft.

The space equipment carried on the June 1st flight weighed approximately 15 tons and was placed inside a special container to protect the satellite payload’s sensitive technology systems. A strict temperature environment was also applied throughout the flight to keep the satellite stable.

The airline conducted the flight on behalf of Canada’s MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Corporation, which was awarded a contract by the State Space Agency of Ukraine through State Enterprise “Ukrkosmos” as the developer and main builder of the Lybid satellite payload. Lybid was carried to Krasnoyarsk for test operations at the JSC Information Satellite Systems – Reshetnev Company (ISS), another developer and manufacturer of space modules.

Aerospace cargoes represent one of the key areas of Volga-Dnepr’s activity. Over the past 22 years, the airline has operated 3,477 flights for aerospace customers using its An-124-100 and IL-76TD-90VD fleet. To date, over 100 satellites have been carried onboard the IL-76TD-90VD aircraft, including the Express AM5 and Express AM6 satellite payloads produced in Canada, which were transported to Krasnoyarsk at the end of last year.

The Lybid satellite, once completed and in operation, will be used to help develop Ukraine’s national system of satellite communications, including regional and international television and radio broadcasting, internet access services, data transmission, telephony, and videoconferencing using VSAT (very small aperture terminal) technology.