Airbus has launched the Pléiades Neo Next Program in Toulouse, France.
Takeaway Points
- Airbus has launched the Pléiades Neo Next Programme in Toulouse, France.
- The aim of launching the programme is to expand its high-resolution Earth observation constellation.
- The first step of Pléiades Neo Next is to develop a new satellite that will be launched in a few years.
Why did Airbus launch the Pléiades Neo Next programme?
The aerospace company Airbus said on Monday that it has launched the Pléiades Neo Next programme in Toulouse, France. The aim of launching the programme is to expand its high-resolution Earth observation constellation.
Airbus said that the programme will result in new satellite assets and capabilities, and as a first step for Pléiades Neo Next, it will develop a new satellite that will be launched in a few years.
Karen Florschütz, Executive Vice President of Connected Intelligence at Airbus Defence and Space said that the new programme will increase the standard of excellence in terms of quality, etc.
“The Pléiades Neo Next programme builds on the success of our existing Pléiades Neo constellation which serves government and commercial customers around the world. This new programme will further enhance our standard of excellence in terms of quality, performance, and reliability to deliver images as well as geo-intelligence services and applications.” Karen said.
What is involved in the Pléiades Neo Next program?
Airbus said that the Pléiades Neo Next programme is funded, manufactured, and operated by Airbus Defence and Space, with the full image capacity available first in different sectors including defence and intelligence, agriculture, environment, maritime, disaster response, mapping, location-based services, civil engineering, urban planning, and utilities.
Users will be able to directly task the Airbus satellites and can receive their images through the customer’s Direct Receiving Stations (DRS) on the ground or on the OneAtlas digital platform, the report said.
The Pléiades Neo and Pléiades Neo Next satellites collectively will give a higher revisit anywhere on Earth, up to several times per day, along with the best spatial resolution and geolocation accuracy available in the market, Airbus said.
Airbus First Quarter Report
On April 25, Airbus reported its First Quarter (Q1) 2024 results. According to the Aerospace Company, its gross commercial aircraft orders totalled 170 (Q1 2023: 156 aircraft) with the same number of net orders due to no cancellations (Q1 2023 net orders: 142 aircraft). The order backlog amounted to 8,626 commercial aircraft at the end of March 2024. Airbus Helicopters registered 63 net orders (Q1 2023: 39 units), mainly in the light and medium segments. Airbus Defence and Space’s order intake by value was €2.0 billion (Q1 2023: €2.5 billion).
According to the report, consolidated revenues increased 9 percent year-on-year to €12.8 billion (Q1 2023: €11.8 billion). A total of 142 commercial aircraft were delivered (Q1 2023: 127 aircraft), comprising 12 A220s, 116 A320 Family, 7 A330s, and 7 A350s. Revenues generated by Airbus’ commercial aircraft activities increased by 13 percent, mainly reflecting the higher number of deliveries.
Airbus said that revenues generated by Airbus’ commercial aircraft activities increased by 13 percent, and revenues at Airbus Defence and Space increased by 4 percent, mainly driven by the Air Power business.