So it's time for an innovative new set of Galileo spacecraft, which Airbus has started building. The new Airbus satellites will improve the accuracy of Galileo as well as the robustness and resilience of its signal, which will be key for the upcoming digital decade. They will provide new capabilities relying on highly innovative technologies such as digitally configurable antennas, inter-satellite links, new atomic clock technologies and fully electric propulsion systems. The new spacecraft will also be more flexible and reconfigurable in orbit to satisfy the expected evolution in end-user needs.

Once in orbit, they will offer increased service availability, including strengthened protection against cyber-attack enabling the addition of new user services notably in the security and safety-critical domains. Airbus' extensive know-how in this field is a unique enabler for delivery in the challenging timeframe set out by Europe.

Weighing around 2.3 tons, each satellite is designed to operate for about 15 years. The state-of-the-art and all-electric medium-Earth orbit (MEO) platform from Airbus, reuses flight proven building blocks from our Telecoms and Earth Observation programmes, taking advantage of a unique combination of heritage and in orbit experience. The flexible and modular navigation payload solution with future growth capability is also based on telecom elements for beam forming and signal generation.

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Airbus SE published this content on 16 June 2021 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 16 June 2021 14:41:04 UTC.