Thuraya-3 at 98.5° East

Thuraya-3 at 98.5° East was operated by Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications based on UAE. The satellite was the first satellite in the Boeing GEM-series. This product line expands Boeing’s offerings beyond satellite manufacturing, to integrate a high-power geosynchronous satellite (derived from the Boeing BSS-702 body-stabilized design) with a ground segment and user handsets, to provide a range of cellular-like voice and data services over a large geographic region. The Thuraya ground segment includes terrestrial gateways plus a collocated network operations center and satellite control facility in the UAE.

Thuraya offered GSM-compatible mobile telephone services, transmitting and receiving calls through a single 12.25m-aperture reflector. The satellite employs state-of-the-art on-board digital signal processing to create more than 200 spot beams that can be redirected on-orbit, allowing the Thuraya system to adapt to business demands in real time. Calls are routed directly from one handheld unit to another, or to a terrestrial network. The system has the capacity for 13,750 simultaneous voice circuits.

In August 2018 satellite operator YahSat from Abu Dhabi (UAE) acquired the majority of the stakes of Thuraya and became the mobile satellite services subsidiary of that company. YahSat owns and operates the Thuraya satellites. In April 2024, YahSat agreed to merge with Bayanat, an AI-powered geospatial solutions provider based in Abu Dhabi, forming Space42. This new entity will combine Bayanat’s advanced geospatial AI capabilities with Yahsat’s satellite communications expertise to develop innovative space-based services, aiming to make a substantial impact on societies and economies.

The Thuraya-3 satellite is technically the same as Thuraya-2, but located in geosynchronous orbit at 98.5° E longitude, inclined at 6.2°, and provides telecommunications coverage in more than 161 countries in the EMEA region as well as Asia and Australia

The spacecraft was launched on January 15^th, 2008 on a Zenit-3SL rocket from the Odyssey launch platform operated by Sea Launch.