Yamal-201 at 90° East

Yamal-201 was a Russian geostationary communications satellite operated by Gazprom Space Systems. Launched in November 2003 aboard a Proton-K/DM rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome, it was built on the SP-2000 satellite bus by RSC Energia.

Positioned at 90° East, Yamal-201 provided C-band and Ku-band capacity for television broadcasting, data transmission, and telecommunications services across Russia, Central Asia, and parts of Asia-Pacific. With a design life of about 12 years, it played a key role in expanding Russia’s domestic and regional satellite communications infrastructure before being replaced by newer Yamal satellites.

The satellite, launched in a dual launch with Yamal-202 by launch operator ILS in November 2003, was de-orbited in 2014.