Airbus wins the manufacture of two Emirati satellites for 3.9 billion dirhams

Al Yah Satellite Communications Company, the provider of satellite solutions in the Emirates listed on the Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange, announced its contract with Airbus Defense and Space Company, to manufacture its two communications satellites, Al Yah 4 and Al Yah 5.

The total cost of the two satellites is estimated at about 3.9 billion dirhams ($1.1 billion), and this includes the spacecraft, ground operations infrastructure, launch arrangements, and insurance. The program will initially be funded based on Yahsat’s own resources until receiving an advance payment from the UAE government worth 3.7 billion dirhams ($1 billion).

Yahsat had authorized Airbus in the second quarter of 2023 to begin initial activities related to the two satellite program, following its receipt of a mandate from the UAE government worth $18.7 billion ($5.1 billion) to provide satellite communications and managed services, which will be carried out mainly through These two new moons.

Airbus will design and manufacture the two satellites based on the Eurostar New platform, each of which will have payloads that can be reconfigured completely flexibly while the two satellites are in orbit, providing the possibility of re-adjusting the coverage area, capacity and frequency to meet any changes in usage requirements.

The Al Yah 4 and Al Yah 5 satellites will provide secure communications capabilities to government agencies within wide geographical areas, including the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asia. The two advanced satellites will eventually replace the Al Yah 1 and Al Yah 2 satellites, knowing that the latter two are based on an earlier version of the Eurostar manufactured by Airbus. They were launched in 2011 and 2012.

Airbus is scheduled to design and manufacture the satellites and provide components for the ground control department. It is expected that their operating period will extend to 15 years from their expected launch in 2027 and 2028.