Facebook Launches Israeli-Made Satellite To Bring Internet to More of Africa

By JTA October 6, 2015

Facebook will launch an Israeli-made satellite to bring Internet access to sub-Saharan Africa.

The AMOS-6 satellite is being built by Israel Aerospace Industries and will be operated by the Israeli company Spacecom, in partnership with Eutelsat Communications of France.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the partnership with Eutelsat to launch the satellite on his Facebook page on Monday.

The satellite, which is expected to operate for 16 years, is set to launch in 2016, Zuckerman said.

The satellite costs about $300 million and Spacecom is expected to earn about $100 million from the deal, according to Reuters.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO