The European Space Agency (ESA) says that its first satellite to be built under its Eurostar ‘Neo’ programme has completed mechanical tests designed to demonstrate its ability to withstand the vibration that occurs during launch. The satellite is being developed by Airbus and will eventually be Eutelsat’s Hotbird 13F when launched but at the moment […]
Airbus has won an order for 42 satellite platforms along with their support services. The order comes from Northrop Grumman which will use add its own payloads to the platforms. The ultimate customer is the US Space development Agency. The Airbus/Northrop concept is to use the bulk supply order to provide more power within a […]
Airbus-built MEASAT-3d telecommunications satellite is in Kourou, French Guiana and is ready for its launch on an Ariane 5 on June 22nd 2022. MEASAT-3d is the 57th E3000 satellite built by Airbus and will be positioned at the 91.5°E orbital slot and collocated with MEASAT-3b, also built by Airbus. This new satellite will significantly enhance […]
When the UK made its $500 million investment in the – then bankrupt – OneWeb satellite constellation, much was made of the prospects for production of the actual satellites, with UK officials talking optimistically about satellites being built in the UK. Alok Sharma, then business secretary in the UK government, spoke at the time of […]
Airbus has won a series of contracts for a number of new satellites which will be built at its joint-venture (with OneWeb) Florida factory. The first couple of craft will be built at the Airbus facility in Toulouse prior to shifting construction to the Florida production base. The 15-unit order comes from San Francisco-based Loft […]
Dataxis has published its latest report on the Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) civil communications market. After years of significant growth, the decline in traditional video activity in the most developed countries is being sustained, resulting in a limited but steady decline in the turnover of FSS operators. The outlook for the future is equally becoming […]
Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL) is leading a consortium made up of experienced space-related businesses as part of the European Space Agencies ‘Leopard’ project to clear dangerous space debris. The Leopard study will be led by SSTL and delivered by a consortium of leading UK space companies and academia to benefit from the wide breadth of […]
Türksat 5B will be launched on December 19th, subject to the usual weather considerations. The current plan calls for the launch to take place from Florida by SpaceX on one of its Falcon 9 rockets. The satellite, built by Airbus, was shipped to Florida in November and arrived from France on November 29th. Türksat 5B […]
Broadband satellite operator OneWeb, which owns a 50/50 joint venture satellite construction company (with Airbus) in Florida, is to start producing its satellites in the UK. OneWeb said that the move would be worth some $3 billion (€2.6bn) to the UK economy. Chris McLaughlin, OneWeb’s head of government affairs, said that a manufacturing programme would […]
Inmarsat-6, built by Airbus (and the first Inmarsat to be built by Airbus) has been shipped from the Airbus facility in Toulouse to Tanegashima in Japan ready for launch. The satellite will operate in both multibeam Ka-band and L-band and will use a huge 9 metre antenna for its L-band services. It also houses an […]