Al Yah Satellite Communications Company PJSC (Yahsat), the UAE’s leading satellite solutions provider, has contracted Airbus Defense and Space for its new geostationary telecommunications satellites, Al Yah 4 (“AY4”) and Al Yah. 5 (“AY5”). This important step follows the signing of an Authorization to Proceed with Airbus in the second quarter of 2023 to commence initial activities in relation to the AY4 and AY5 satellite programme.
Airbus will design and build the AY4 and AY5 satellites based on the Eurostar Neo platform, each of which will have flexible payloads and benefit from the strong heritage of the Eurostar family. Flexible multi-band payloads can be completely reconfigured while in orbit, being able to adjust coverage area, capacity and frequency “on the fly” to meet evolving mission scenarios.
The AY4 and AY5 satellites will provide secure government communications across a wide geographic area of the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asia. New advanced satellites eventually They will replace Al Yah 1 and Al Yah 2, which were launched in 2011 and 2012respectively, and are based on an earlier version of the Eurostar platform built by Airbus.
Alain Fauré, Director of Space Systems at Airbus, assures that “today marks a true milestone when Yahsat selects our pioneering and totally flexible satellite technology. 16 years ago we signed our first contract with Yahsat, bringing the first sovereign telecommunications satellite to the United Arab Emirates. And now, our long-standing relationship is moving forward with this contract for two Eurostar Neos, further strengthening Yahsat’s in-orbit resources.”
Ali Al Hashemi, CEO of Yahsat Group, commented: “We are delighted to sign this contract with Airbus as part of our continued efforts to enhance our satellite communications capabilities with the next generation of satellites. This is a significant step in Yahsat’s growth trajectory. The Al Yah 4 and Al Yah 5 satellites will allow us to offer the UAE government new cutting-edge solutions. Additionally, the two new LEO satellite platforms will support Yahsat’s future direction of providing multi-orbit satellite solutions to its customers.”
Airbus will design and manufacture the AY4 and AY5 satellites and will also provide ground control segment components. Both spacecraft will have a design life of 15 years and are scheduled to launch in 2027 and 2028 respectively.
At the moment, Airbus is developing the Thuraya 4 (“T4”) satellite to serve both Yahsat’s UAE government customer like Thuraya customers. The T4 is also based on the Eurostar Neo platform and will be launched in the second half of 2024 and enter service in the second half of 2025.
The development of the Airbus Eurostar Neo platform and its flexible payloads has been supported by the European Space Agency (ESA) and national space agencies across Europe.
