Yahsat orders LEO satellites from Airbus

TAMPA, Fla. — Yahsat ordered a pair of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites from Airbus amid a $1.1 billion program for its next two broadband geostationary spacecraft, the Emirates operator announced on June 10.

The companies said the LEO satellites will be based on Arrow, a satellite platform derived from the 150-kilogram spacecraft that Airbus helped build for OneWeb’s broadband constellation, without elaborating.

An Airbus Defense and Space spokesman declined to comment on the Yahsat contract, adding that its Arrow platform is versatile enough to accommodate telecom, Earth observation and other missions.

Yahsat CEO Ali Al Hashemi said in a statement that the LEO order supports Yahsat’s “future direction of providing multi-orbit satellite solutions to its customers.”

Al Hashemi told investors in August that the publicly traded company was looking closely at Earth observation through partnerships, as well as growth opportunities in the emerging market for direct-to-equipment satellite connectivity.

Shareholders recently approved a merger between Yahsat and UAE-based geospatial intelligence provider Bayanat in a deal expected to close later this year, subject to regulatory approvals.

Last year, Yahsat and Bayanat teamed up to order seven synthetic aperture radar satellites focused on the UAE from Finland’s Iceye. Yahsat recently said the first SAR satellite is scheduled to be launched before the end of June, pushed back from the first three months of 2024.

The UAE operator has also invested in Astrocast, a Swiss LEO operator of satellites that connect the tracking and monitoring of Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

Yahsat also announced a procurement contract on June 10 with Airbus for Al Yah 4 and Al Yah 5 for a launch into geostationary orbit (GEO) in 2027 and 2028, respectively, after funding early design work last year.

Based on Airbus’ Eurostar Neo platform, they will eventually replace Yahsat’s aging Al Yah 1 and Al Yah 2 satellites to provide government communications in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asia.

The UAE government has already committed to buying $5.1 billion worth of broadband services from the Emirates fleet operator until at least 2043, mainly from Al Yah 4 and Al Yah 5.

Yahsat expects to receive $1 billion of this in 2024, roughly the amount it expects to spend on the Al Yah 4 and Al Yah 5 spacecraft, ground segment infrastructure, launch and insurance.

Al Yah 4 and Al Yah 5 joined eight other commercial GEO communications satellite announcements in 2023.

Four more orders have been announced so far in 2024, matching this time last year and still far short of the 15-20 large orders that manufacturers competed for each year before the launch of LEO constellations.

Airbus is also building the Thuraya 4 GEO satellite for Yahsat’s mobile connectivity business. SpaceX will launch Thuraya 4 this year to enable services to begin in the second half of 2025.

Connected