FX.co ★ Airbus In Deal With UAE's Yahsat To Construct Al Yah 4, Al Yah 5 Satellites

On Monday, Airbus SE (EADSY) announced that its Airbus Defence and Space division has secured a contract with Al Yah Satellite Communications Co. PJSC, commonly known as Yahsat, the United Arab Emirates' leading provider of satellite solutions. This agreement involves the creation of two new geostationary telecommunications satellites, Al Yah 4 and Al Yah 5.

The contract stipulates the use of two Airbus ARROW spacecraft platforms, which are slated for future deployment in low Earth orbit.

In the second quarter of last year, the two companies signed an Authorization-to-Proceed agreement to initiate preliminary activities for the AY4 and AY5 satellite program.

As part of the contract, Airbus will be responsible for the design and manufacturing of both the AY4 and AY5 satellites, as well as the provision of ground control segment components. Each satellite is designed for a lifespan of 15 years and is scheduled for launch in 2027 and 2028, respectively.

The AY4 and AY5 satellites will be constructed using the Eurostar Neo platform, featuring fully flexible, software-defined payloads that enable in-orbit reconfiguration of coverage areas, capacity, and communication frequencies.

These satellites will provide secure governmental communications over a broad geographical expanse encompassing the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and Asia. They are destined to replace the Al Yah 1 and Al Yah 2 satellites, which were launched in 2011 and 2012, respectively.

Airbus also mentioned that it is currently developing the Thuraya 4 satellite, which will cater to both Yahsat's UAE government clients and Thuraya's consumer base. The T4 satellite, also constructed on the Eurostar Neo platform, is scheduled for launch in the latter half of 2024 and is expected to commence service in the latter half of 2025.