Eutelsat Quantum
With phased array antennas and flexible connectivity (fully reconfigurable in orbit), Quantum will be the first generation of universal satellites, able to adjust its coverage and capacity to suit customers’ needs as and when they change.
Inmarsat-6 F1 and F2
Inmarsat-6 F1 and F2 will feature high levels of flexibility and connectivity. A new generation modular digital processor will provide full routing flexibility over up to 8000 channels and dynamic power allocation to over 200 spot beams in L-band.
SES-12 / SES-14
Both SES-12 and SES-14 embark flexible fixed services missions with a multibeam processed payload.
Electric Propulsion Satellites
Leading the race
Electric propulsion makes it possible to reduce the mass of satellites, leading to lower launch costs for a given mission and/or a more capable satellite for a given mass. Airbus Defence and Space has been using electric propulsion for station keeping for more than ten years, and is building the first large satellites using only electric propulsion for initial orbit raising. A key element is the use of reliable solutions that keep overall system costs under control and reduce the duration of orbit raising.
19 All-Electric satellites under construction
40% Saving on launch mass
100%
Launcher compatibility
All our recent orders
equipped with electric propulsion
Eutelsat 172B
Eutelsat 172B is the first all-electric satellite based on Eurostar E3000e platform. This Airbus Defence and Space innovative and high-performance satellite host three distinct payloads: a C-band payload, a regular Ku-band payload and a high throughput HT
Hot Bird F1 & F2
Hotbird F1 & F2 are the two first all-electric satellites based on Eurostar Neo platform. The two new generation broadcast satellites will deliver improved performances over the European and Middle-Eastern footprint, reinforced by a powerful European Sup
Optical communications
Airbus is an unrivaled leader in optical communications in Europe with over 20 years’ experience. Optical communications increase throughput access while lowering costs – including on ground segment – and also overcome congestion on the radio frequency spectrum. From early European projects such as Silex and Lola, right up to today’s successful SpaceDataHighway, Airbus is at the forefront of this key technology.
SpaceDataHighway
SpaceDataHighway™ (SDH) is a public-private partnership between ESA (European Space Agency) and Airbus. The SpaceDataHighway service utilises the Airbus-owned and -operated European Data Relay System (EDRS) laser communication infrastructure to provide this high bandwidth capability for both LEO (low-Earth orbit) satellites and airborne platforms.
See also
Satellite Telecommunication missions and applications
Sharing access to space offers large cost reductions for both payload customer and hosting spacecraft operator.
Airbus Defence and Space has considerable expertise in this field, having worked on more than 20 hosted payloads over the two last decades, for commercial and institutional users, civil and military missions. This encompasses a wide range of applications and service requirements for operation in LEO as well as in GEO.
Hosted Payloads: Capabilities and Opportunities
Satellites privileged position up in orbit means that they can deliver a whole host of applications, without borders and without blind spots.
Satellites provide the connectivity we need, to keep us in touch, to keep us informed, to keep us entertained – and, in emergency situations, to keep us safe.
How does a Telecommunications Satellite work?
How do the signals travel? How are frequency bands chosen? What’s special about geostationary orbit?
A communications satellite works like a relay station: signals transmitted by the ground stations are picked up by the satellite’s receiver antennas, the signals are filtered, their frequency changed and amplified, and then routed via the transmit antennas back down to Earth.