Companies including Thales Alenia Space, Maxar Technologies, Airbus and Boeing have said customers are demanding flexible, reprogrammable satellites as business predictions for the operating sector shrink to around five years. The new satellite is expected to be launched in 2018 or 2019, with a launch date of 2020 still being discussed. However, long-term cost-effectiveness remains key to the wider rollout of such craft, said Maxar CEO Dan Jablonsky.
Companies including Thales Alenia Space, Maxar Technologies, Airbus and Boeing have said customers are demanding flexible, reprogrammable satellites as business predictions for the operating sector shrink to around five years. Satellites' ability to adapt to changing customer and business needs is paramount, said Jean-Marc Nasr, head of space systems at Airbus Defence and Space. However, long-term cost-effectiveness remains key to the wider rollout of such craft, said Maxar CEO Dan Jablonsky.