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10 Dec 2024
Airbus delivers UAE’s latest telecom satellite to Florida launch site
Space42 says the new satellite will enable the company to introduce more than 15 new products once operational
Airbus has delivered Space42’s Thuraya 4 telecommunications satellite to Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of its planned launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket later this month, the companies said on Tuesday.
The satellite, which was transported from Toulouse, France via Airbus’s distinctive BelugaST aircraft, will provide enhanced telecommunications coverage across Europe, Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East.
Space42, formed earlier this year through the merger of UAE’s Bayanat and Yahsat, said the new satellite will enable the company to introduce more than 15 new products once operational.
“Thuraya 4 is at the core of our next-generation mobility solutions plans,” said Ali Al Hashemi, CEO of Yahsat Space Services at Space42.
Built on Airbus’s Eurostar Neo platform, the satellite features a 12-metre antenna operating in L-Band and can handle up to 3,200 channels with dynamic power allocation. The spacecraft is fully electric and incorporates Airbus’s latest processed payload technology.
“The shipment of Thuraya 4 represents a major milestone and reinforces our longstanding partnership with Yahsat Space Services, Space42 stretching back more than 10 years,” said Alain Fauré, Head of Space Systems at Airbus Defence and Space.
“In addition to being fully electric, Thuraya 4 also features Airbus’ latest processed payload technology to give increased flexibility and adaptability to Space42’s customers across land, sea and air.”
The satellite represents a continued partnership between Airbus and the UAE’s space sector, with the original contract awarded by Yahsat in 2020 before its integration into Space42.
Space42, which trades on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange under the ticker SPACE42, aims to combine satellite communications with artificial intelligence capabilities. The company counts G42, Mubadala and IHC among its major shareholders.
The satellite arrived in the United States on November 25th after stopovers in the Azores and Nova Scotia during its transport journey.
Source: https://www.arabianbusiness.com
