Two Airbus technicians work on commercial GEO satellite in Portsmouth clean room. Credit: Airbus.

Airbus Defence and Space invited Airforce Technology to its Portsmouth facility where the company builds an impressive portfolio of satellite communication (SATCOM) systems for military and civil agencies alike.

Among numerous projects, Airbus is also tasked with the production of Skynet 6A, the first satellite within the forthcoming iteration of Britain’s future military SATCOM, which SpaceX will launch in 2025.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Related Company Profiles

View all

The programme is due to replace the country’s four existing Skynet 5 satellites, tasked with underpinning the military’s ability to communicate and operate globally. For that reason, the project has been designated a Category A programme within the Government Major Projects Portfolio, and they anticipate spending more than £5bn ($6.47bn) on the programme over the next ten years.

“What we’re seeing more is space becoming a warfighting domain,” said Martin Rowse, campaign director of the Skynet programme at Airbus.

Under a government-owned and contractor-operated agreement, Airbus’ Skynet 6 constellation will expand capacity and protection over its predecessor to meet the demand for more data than ever before.

See Also:

Notably, the next-generation constellation will better suit the needs of the Royal Air Force’s fleet of F-35B Lightning II multi-role aircraft, and the future sixth-generation Tempest fighter, both of which will operate in a hybrid structure alongside collaborative uncrewed aerial systems.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

This new method of aerial warfare would be more suited to an enhanced capability that will better support the data links between these advanced platforms.

British F-35B pilots prepare to disembark from HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier, 17 March 2024. The enhanced capability of Skynet 6 will support data links between different platforms. Credit: Crown copyright/UK Ministry of Defence.

Airbus Portsmouth facility

Integration and building of satellites are undertaken in a clean room to prevent contamination, while a reconfigurable secure capability allows commercial and classified projects to run in parallel.

In addition, another adjacent clean room is used to make specific components due to be fitted to their satellites. Both rooms are air-conditioned and contamination-controlled.

If you would like to find out more about Airbus leading UK space capabilities and the Skynet 6 programme you will find an in-depth feature article covering the visit to Portsmouth on Global Defence Technology Issue 148, which releases in August 2024.