Airbus delivers Space42’s Thuraya 4 satellite to launch site

Toulouse - 10 December 2024 – Space42’s Thuraya 4 telecommunications satellite, built by Airbus, has reached its destination at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, where it will be launched into orbit by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket in December 2024. The satellite was shipped from Toulouse, France, onboard an Airbus BelugaST (A300-600ST).

The new Thuraya 4 geostationary satellite will deliver superior capabilities and increase coverage across Europe, Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East, enabling next-generation mobility solutions for customers. In 2020, Airbus was selected to build Thuraya 4 by Yahsat, now part of Space42, the UAE’s AI-powered SpaceTech company with global reach.

Ali Al Hashemi, CEO of Yahsat Space Services, Space42, said: “We are delighted that the Thuraya 4 satellite has reached its final destination before launch. Thuraya 4 is at the core of our next-generation mobility solutions plans and demonstrates our commitment to harnessing advanced SpaceTech to unlock innovative AI-powered services for our global client base. Thuraya 4 will significantly expand our product offerings with more than 15 new products when it becomes fully operational.”

Alain Fauré, Head of Space Systems at Airbus Defence and Space said: “The shipment of Thuraya 4 represents a major milestone and reinforces our longstanding partnership with Yahsat Space Services at Space42, stretching back more than 10 years. 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.”

Leveraging the state-of-the-art all-electric Airbus Eurostar Neo Platform, Thuraya 4 will incorporate a 12 metre antenna operating in L-Band and a payload with on-board processing. This will provide advanced routing flexibility of up to 3200 channels with dynamic power allocation over a large number of spot beams. 

Thuraya 4 is one of the largest MSS communication satellites produced which allows for more services, higher speeds, and higher level of performance security. Thuraya 4 will enable Space42 to cover a greater spectrum and support customers across industries, including defense, government, and enterprise.

The BelugaST took off from Toulouse-Blagnac Airport on Saturday 23^rd of November, and, following stopovers in the Azores and Nova Scotia, arrived on US soil on 25^th of November. 

The Eurostar Neo family of Airbus telecommunications satellites is based on a next-generation platform and technologies, developed with the support of the European Space Agency (ESA), and others, including the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) and the UK Space Agency (UKSA).