Airbus To Build Communication Satellites For UAE's Yahsat

Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat), the flagship satellite solutions provider of UAE, announced that it has contracted Airbus Defence and Space for its new geostationary telecommunications satellites. The two satellites, Al Yah 4 and Al Yah 5, will be designed and built based on the Eurostar Neo platform. Apart from design and manufacture, Airbus will also provide ground control segment components. 

In a statement released on June 10, Yahsat said that the new satellites will deliver secure governmental communications over a wide geographical area across the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and Asia. Meanwhile, AY4 and AY5 satellites will eventually replace Al Yah 1 and Al Yah 2, which were launched in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Both advanced satellites will have a design life of 15 years and are planned to be launched in 2027 and 2028, respectively.

The total cost of the AY4 and AY5 procurement programme is expected to reach approximately AED 3.9 billion (USD 1.1 billion), according to Yahsat. Airbus is currently developing the Thuraya 4 satellite (“T4”) for Yahsat Government Solutions. T4, based on the Eurostar Neo platform, is due to be launched in the second half of this year and enter service in the second half of 2025.