The Beluga delivers, from Toulouse, an Airbus satellite to the Kennedy Space Center
The Kennedy Space Center in Florida hosted a machine very familiar to Toulouse residents. The Beluga ST delivered this weekend two HOTBIRD 13G satellites built by Airbus for Eutelsat. These are the first members of Airbus’ new family of “Eurostar Neo” telecommunications satellites.
These new tools are based on next-generation technologies developed with the support of the European Space Agency (ESA) and other organizations, including the Center National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) and the British Space Agency (UKSA). .
Return to the United States… 13 years later
This delivery marks the return of the Beluga on American soil. Indeed, his first visit dates back to 2009, when the Airbus juggernaut transported the European “Tranquility” module from the International Space Station. It should be noted that with the arrival of the new BelugaXL, based on the larger A330-200 platform, the BelugaST fleet is gradually being made available for oversized cargo transport services worldwide.
For this new delivery, the Beluga also used 30% sustainable fuel for its flight. from Toulouse. A way for Airbus to underline its ambitions to decarbonize Airbus.
“It is a real honor to present two satellites consecutively for our customer Eutelsat: two European technological jewels at the Center of the Space World,” said Jean-Marc Nasr, Head of Space Systems at Airbus.
Strengthen the distribution of TV channels in Europe
The two satellites delivered by the Beluga are received from power and thermal control systems “more efficient than their predecessors”, details Airbus. The two satellites could thus broadcast more than 1,000 television channels in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
They also enhance the ability toEutelsat to provide connectivity to more than 135 million people, as they replace three Eutelsat satellites currently in orbit. A way to strengthen a little more the presence of Airbus in the field of telecommunications.
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