Eutelsat’s sophisticated Quantum satellite, built by Airbus at Toulouse, is on its way to French Guiana for final integration ahead of a planned launch later in July from Kourou. Eutelsat’s Quantum satellite is a revolutionary step forward for commercial satellites, offering very high customisation and flexibility. It will supply services with unprecedented in-orbit reconfigurability in […]
Eutelsat Communications’ Eutelsat 36D satellite has been selected by Airbus Defence and Space to carry its latest Ultra High Frequency (UHF) payload. Airbus Defence and Space has already received firm pre-commitments on this payload. Operating in the dedicated 225-400MHz frequency band, the payload will address French governmental applications and other allied governmental applications to support […]
SES has moved Astra 2B to a graveyard orbit and well above the standard geo-stationary orbits used by the satellite industry. Launched in September 2000 and was co-located with Astra 2A at 28.2 degrees East, the craft has also served at the core SES hotspot at 19.2 degrees East and 31.5 degrees East over the […]
Abu Dhabi-based satellite operator Al Yah says that Airbus has wrapped the initial Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for the company’s upcoming Thuraya 4-NGS. Thuraya 4-NGS will have an L-band ecosystem with the upgrade of Thuraya’s space and ground and user (products and solutions) segments. Complemented by a 5G-ready core network, Yahsat’s newest satellite system will […]
The European Commission has selected a consortium of companies and research institutes to study the design of the future European quantum communication network, EuroQCI (quantum communication infrastructure). It will enable ultra-secure communication between critical infrastructures and government institutions across the European Union. The European consortium, led by Airbus, is composed of Leonardo, Orange, PwC France […]
The European Union wants its own Low Earth orbiting mega-constellation of satellites for its citizens, and separate from the offerings from Elon Musk, OneWeb or Canada’s Lightspeed. The EU invited a consortium of industry suppliers to come up with a fast-track LEO scheme and Dominic Hayes, spectrum manager for the EU’s space programme at the […]
Abu Dhabi’s Al Yah Satellite Communications (better known as Yahsat) is building a sixth satellite. The company also owns the Thuraya telecoms satellite system and, with Thuraya, have five satellites in total already operating. According to reports Yahsat is well advanced with its 6th satellite (Thuraya-4) under construction with Airbus. Thuraya-4 is designed to have […]
SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation, the main satellite operator in Japan, has selected Airbus to build Superbird-9, a fully digital in-orbit reconfigurable telecommunications satellite. It is due for launch in 2024. The satellite will be based on Airbus’ standardised OneSat product line. Airbus will provide a turnkey solution, including design and manufacture of the Superbird-9 spacecraft, […]
Airbus has won the prime contractor order from Eutelsat for its E-36D satellite replacement for Eutelsat 36B which is likely to reach the end of its working life during 2026, some 17 years after its launch in November 2009 (and was previously known as Eutelsat W7 and with a 15-year design life). 36D is planned […]
Thales Alenia Space has won a $930 million-value contract (€772m) from the European Commission (EC) and issued via the European Space Agency to build six ‘next generation’ Galileo satellites. However, the contract is reportedly funded at 9.6 per cent higher than the main rival bid from Airbus, which is also seeking a contract to build […]