Riyadh - Mubasher: The Arab Satellite Communications Organization (Arabsat) signed a contract with Airbus Defense and Space to build Badr-8 satellite, the first of its seventh generation satellites.
BADR-8 will be based on the-state-of-the-art Airbus Eurostar Neo electric orbit raising platform giving access to a wide range of launchers, covering Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and central Asia, according to a recent press release.
The new satellite is set to launch at the beginning of 2023.
Arabsat President and CEO, Khalid Balkheyour, said that Arabsat investments in Badr 8 will reach about $300 million including launch, insurance, and ground infrastructures.
Moreover, Head of Space Systems, Jean-Marc Nasr, remarked, “This important contract with our long-standing customer Arabsat has a special significance for Airbus Defense and Space.”
He continued, “BADR-8 incorporates the best of our expertise and technologies, including a very innovative optical communications hosted payload. This further strengthens our continuing strategic partnership with the Arab Satellite Communications Organization, which has been connecting people by satellite across the Middle East and the world for more than 40 years.”
