Space
Our vision: making space a universe of possibilities for everyone
At Airbus, our purpose is to improve life on Earth and beyond through our cutting-edge space technologies. With every technological breakthrough, we bring people closer together, we navigate new frontiers and we discover new and unexplored destinations. And we don't just take innovations to space – our space solutions and projects help solve global challenges on Earth.
But we don’t stop there: we envisage a future where our human economy expands beyond Earth’s orbit and everyone benefits from the value of space. Explore, discover, connect: together, we can make tomorrow more than just another day.
Whether mapping every star in our galaxy or looking back at planet Earth, Airbus has been helping to answer big questions from space and advance space exploration for more than 50 years. Supplying reliable systems that range from electronic components to full telecommunications relay platforms, scientific satellites and crewed spacecraft, developing the technology to send spaceships to planets – Airbus provides solutions for customers and their programmes around the globe.
ArianeGroup, a joint venture with Safran, is the prime contractor for Europe’s record-breaking Ariane launcher. Applying the expertise of two leading contributors to modern launch vehicles, ArianeGroup develops innovative and competitive space solutions. Airbus Defence and Space has accumulated over 30 years of in-orbit operation, launching its first Earth observation satellite in 1986.
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Today, Airbus announced that its Sparkwing solar panels were selected by USA-based Masten Space Systems for their XL-1 lunar lander. In 2023, the XL-1 spacecraft will land at the lunar South Pole as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. XL-1 will be equipped with six body-mounted Sparkwing solar panels, to be delivered next year, to charge the vehicle’s power system during transition to the Moon as well as during operations on the Moon’s surface.
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Thirty years ago, on 17 July 1991, at exactly 03:46 (CEST), an Ariane 4 launch vehicle took off into space with the Earth observation satellite ERS-1 of the European Space Agency (ESA). The abbreviation stands for European Remote-Sensing Satellite and the "1" marks it as the first of its kind. ERS-1 is the ancestor of all modern European Earth observation satellites. The ERS-1 mission marks both the beginning of ESA's modern Earth observation and the start of a long and successful remote sensing history for Airbus' space division.
AirbusHeritage.jpg?wid=365&fit=fit,1&qlt=85,0)
Thirty years ago, on 17 July 1991, at exactly 03:46 (CEST), an Ariane 4 launch vehicle took off into space with the Earth observation satellite ERS-1 of the European Space Agency (ESA). The abbreviation stands for European Remote-Sensing Satellite and the "1" marks it as the first of its kind. ERS-1 is the ancestor of all modern European Earth observation satellites. The ERS-1 mission marks both the beginning of ESA's modern Earth observation and the start of a long and successful remote sensing history for Airbus' space division.
The EUTELSAT 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 coverage, frequency and power, allowing complete mission rehaul, at any orbital position.
The EUTELSAT 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 coverage, frequency and power, allowing complete mission rehaul, at any orbital position.
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