Eutelsat Communications has ordered two new satellites from Airbus Defence and Space that will replace three craft positioned at the 13 degrees East Hotbird neighbourhood.
The all-electric propulsion satellites will enter service in 2022 with footprints that cover Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. In particular, there will be improved performance over Western Europe and Poland.
Rodolphe Belmer, Chief Executive Officer of Eutelsat, “These new satellites have been specifically designed to enhance the service we offer to our customers at this key neighbourhood, while representing the optimum solution in terms of capex efficiency. We are once again entrusting this project to our long-standing partner Airbus Defence and Space who have already delivered 23 satellites for our group.”
It’s a major win for Airbus and one that will support several hundred ‘high-quality’ jobs in the supply chain jobs in Portsmouth and Stevenage and thousands of jobs in the supply chain. The final assembly will be completed in Toulouse, France.
“Airbus’ telecommunication satellite technology developed in the UK has been key to this significant contract win. UK Space Agency support for the ESA ARTES programme has enabled Airbus in the UK to develop world leading technology for the world’s leading satellite operators,” said Colin Paynter, Managing Director, Airbus Defence and Space UK.
The 4.5 tonnes satellite will be based on Airbus Defence and Space’s innovative Eurostar Neo platform.
The announcement means that 6 out of 7 of the company’s next satellites will be partially built in Britain, representing inward investment of up to €40 million per year.
