Airbus unites two Skynet 6A modules at National Satellite Test Facility

Skynet 6A with already assembled communications and service modules at the Airbus Stevenage facility. (Airbus Defence and Space)

The communications and service modules of the UK's future Skynet 6A military communications satellite have been successfully coupled, in a milestone at the National Satellite Test Facility (NSTF) in Oxfordshire, the manufacturer Airbus Defence and Space said in a 20 May press release.

The next-generation satellite will continue to be tested in 2025, and the launch is scheduled for 2026, Martin Rowse, campaign director at Airbus Defence and Space, told Janes over the phone on 20 May. The satellite will be launched on a Falcon 9 rocket provided by SpaceX, an Airbus representative confirmed to Janes on 21 May.

The communications module of Skynet 6A was built at Airbus' Portsmouth plant and the service module at its Stevenage facility. Skynet 6A has three-and-a-half times the capacity of the current Skynet 5, which is almost 15 years old, said Airbus Defence and Space.

Skynet 6A's antennas were successfully tested earlier this year at the NSTF's electromagnetic compatibility facility, according to the company.

The Skynet 6A satellite is based on the Airbus Eurostar Neo telecommunications satellite, which operates in geostationary orbit (GEO), 36,000 km above the Earth.

Skynet 6A includes electric orbit raising propulsion and electric station-keeping systems, according to Airbus, rather than using chemical propellants, of which only limited amounts can be stored on the craft. While much slower to charge and move, the solar panels powering the electric propulsion make the satellite lighter compared with those using chemical propulsion, Rowse told Janes