A Skynet satellite. Photo: Airbus Defence and Space

[Via Satellite 09-16-2015] Airbus Defence and Space’s Skynet 5A satellite has completed its 67,000km relocation from 6 degrees east to 95 degrees east, the company announced Sept. 15. Skynet 5A began its transition on June 17. Airbus Defence and Space moved the satellite to extend Skynet constellation’s coverage and services from 178 degrees west to 163 degrees east, including the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific region. With the transition now complete, the Skynet network offers near-global military X-band and Ultra High-Frequency (UHF) coverage, expanding core service reach for the U.K. military and augmenting coalition capabilities in the region.

Airbus Defence and Space owns and operates the hardened Skynet X-band satellite constellation of eight satellites and the ground network to provide all Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) communications to the U.K. Ministry of Defence. The contract also allows other North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and allied governments, such as members of the five-eyes community (besides U.K., the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and Canada), to use the Skynet system to augment their existing services. Airbus Defence and Space also leases the X-band hosted payload on Telesat’s Anik G1 satellite, which covers the Americas and parts of the Pacific including Hawaii and Easter Island.