Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

First Bulgarian privately-owned satellite launched into orbit

| updated on 6/24/17 12:59 PM
Photo: BGNES

An artificial satellite, owned by a Bulgarian telecom operator was launched into orbit on board the Falcon 9 rocket by the American SpaceX company at Cape Canaveral, Florida at 10.10 PM Bulgarian time last night.

The satellite, manufactured by the American SSL company, is Bulgaria's first, weighs around 4 tons and is expected to function in geostationary orbit for 15-20 years.

The BulgariaSat-1 will be used to broadcast TV and Internet signals; it can also be used in an emergency such as natural calamities or disasters when land-based networks are out.

Prime Minister Boyko Borissov felicitated the teams who worked in the first Bulgarian geostationary communications satellite:

“This event has placed Bulgaria among the 12 EU countries with the most significant space presence. This first Bulgarian geostationary satellite will provide more and better quality telecommunications services in the Balkans and in other parts of Europe, directly into our homes,” said the Bulgarian prime minister. 





Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

The weather remains mostly cloudy and rainy, but with no precipitation in the southwestern regions

On Friday , the lowest temperatures will be between 5 and 10°C; in Sofia - it will be around 6°C. During the day it will be cloudy and with precipitation. In Northwestern Bulgaria the amounts will be significant. Almost no..

published on 11/6/25 7:50 PM
Iliana Iotova

Iliana Iotova: No one has reassured Bulgarians that there will be no fuel problems

''I am not surprised that the president’s veto concerning the sale of Lukoil’s assets was overturned, because even on such a delicate, serious and worrying issue, there were no arguments or discussion'', Vice President Iliana Iotova told journalists..

published on 11/6/25 5:54 PM
A press conference of the Bulgarian Association of Sterility and Reproductive Health

Birth rate in Bulgaria has decreased by 33% since 1994

Birth rate in Bulgaria has decreased by 33% over the past three decades. In 1994, 79,442 live births were registered in the country, while in 2024 the number dropped to 53,428. 6.5% of Bulgarian children are now born through in vitro fertilization..

published on 11/6/25 5:15 PM