SES wants to build its own satellites
February 2, 2026
By Chris Forrester
Satellite operator SES, which has in the past has bought its geostationary satellites from US and European vendors, says it wants to build its own craft. At the base of the SES comments are concerns that the merger of three European space businesses – Airbus, Thales and Leonardo – would remove competition from the sector.
Instead, say reports, SES is looking close to home and in particular its part-ownership of the Kockelscheuer technology campus in Luxembourg. SES boss Adel Al-Saleh made his comments in favour of possible home-based solutions at an event held in Luxembourg earlier in January and further discussed in an interview on RTL Radio on January 20th.
“The supply chain we have used for some time is struggling to change,” Al-Saleh said on RTL Radio. “There is new competition coming in and new space technologies are emerging. For us to evolve as SES, we must take control of some parts of the supply chain.
“We need to start manufacturing and engineering things ourselves. We’ll still use our partners around the world, butit’s important to take control of certain parts of the supply chain in order to be successful. This includes taking controlof IP, and developing and manufacturing things ourselves,” he added.
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