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The criminal case initiated regarding possible financial irregularities in Armenia’s first satellite project, Armsat-1, and its ground receiving station, has been dropped, as no wrongdoing was established, the Prosecutor-General’s Office told Armenpress.
The criminal investigation into possible misuse of funds was launched in 2024. No details were available. The Anti-Corruption Committee was tasked with the probe.
ArmSat-1 was carried into space by a SpaceX rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, U.S., in 2022.
The Earth observation satellite entered the scheduled deorbit phase on November 8 this year, marking the completion of the project.
Minister of High-Tech Industry Mkhitar Hayrapetyan said in a statement that over the course of 3.5 years, Armsat-1 has provided numerous regional satellite images of Armenia, enabling their use for both scientific and operational purposes. He added that a key achievement of the Armsat-1 mission is that the program allowed for the retraining of specialists and the development of a professional team with the capabilities necessary to design, implement, operate satellites, and process the data for future projects.
Mkhitar Hayrapetyan also noted that the experience gained and the data obtained during the Armsat-1 mission are already being used in the design of next-generation Earth observation and communication satellites.