Airbus designs, manufactures and integrates telecommunications, navigation, Earth-observation and exploration spacecraft; provides associated ground systems and imagery services; and participates in European launch-system industrial infrastructure through ArianeGroup.
Airbus designs, manufactures and integrates telecommunications, navigation, Earth-observation and exploration spacecraft; provides associated ground systems and imagery services; and participates in European launch-system industrial infrastructure through ArianeGroup.
Sidus Space was selected by Airbus OneWeb Satellites (AOS, now fully owned by Airbus) to manufacture satellite hardware components for small satellite production at the Merritt Island facility.
ArianeGroup supplies large lightweight carbon fibre structures (27 shipsets) to Airbus Defence and Space for the Ariane 6 launcher operational phase, supporting industrial ramp-up (contract signed March 2026).
Exotrail's SpaceVan deployed an 8U CubeSat (EXO-0) carrying an Airbus Defense and Space payload in its first in-orbit demonstration in 2024, providing space drop service.
Microsoft supplies Azure Stack and cloud services for Airbus Defence and Space operations, including building and launching aerospace solutions (ongoing).
Relationship research record
Airbus supplies or serves
Eutelsat— customer · supplier2 connectionsTell me more
Airbus Defence and Space was awarded contracts by Eutelsat in December 2024 and January 2026 to build a total of 440 OneWeb low-Earth orbit satellites (100 + 340), with production in Toulouse and deliveries starting end of 2026 to replenish and extend the constellation; this continues prior Airbus OneWeb Satellites JV work for OneWeb (now part of Eutelsat).
Relationship research record
Airbus Defence and Space supplies LEO satellites to Eutelsat for the OneWeb constellation, including a contract for 440 satellites (100 in Dec 2024 + 340 in Jan 2026) manufactured in Toulouse; long-standing supplier and partner for over 30 years; formerly part of Airbus OneWeb Satellites JV.
Northrop Grumman selected Airbus in 2022 as satellite bus supplier for the U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA) low-Earth orbit constellation programme.
Airbus Defence and Space signed a major supplier contract with ArianeGroup in March 2026 to produce interface structures, launch vehicle adapters, and upper booster parts for the Ariane 6 operational phase.
Airbus Defence and Space manufactures and builds OneWeb LEO satellites for Eutelsat, with contracts including 100 satellites awarded December 2024 and an additional 340 satellites awarded January 2026.
Airbus and Telesat began collaboration in 2024 to integrate Telesat Lightspeed services into Airbus HBCplus in-flight connectivity portfolio for airlines.
MOU signed April 28, 2026, to explore collaboration on optical communications, data relay architectures, and integration with Earth observation solutions for near-real-time data transmission.
Airbus, Leonardo, and Thales signed an MoU in 2025 to combine space activities and strengthen European strategic autonomy in space, with Leonardo contributing its Space Division and JV shares.
Relationship research record
Government awards & missions
UK Ministry of Defence— earth-observation-satellite-prime-contractorTell me more
Airbus is designing and building two Oberon synthetic-aperture-radar satellites for the UK Ministry of Defence. · Oberon space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance satellite programme.
Airbus directly identifies the UK MOD as the customer for the two-satellite Oberon contract.
government agency
UK Ministry of Defence— military-communications-satellite-prime-contractorTell me more
Airbus is contracted by the UK Ministry of Defence to manufacture Skynet 6A, the next-generation UK military communications satellite. · Skynet 6A secure military satellite communications programme.
Airbus announced its contract with the UK MOD to build Skynet 6A.
government agency
CNES— earth-observation-operations-partnerTell me more
CNES entrusts Airbus with exclusive civil operation of the Pléiades constellation, while Airbus and CNES jointly extended operations through the end of 2028. · Pléiades optical Earth-observation constellation, civil operations and imagery commercialization.
Airbus states CNES assigned it exclusive civil-operator responsibility and that the parties extended constellation operations through 2028.
government agency
NASA— mission-hardware-supplierTell me more
Airbus supplies European Service Modules that are integrated with NASA’s Orion crew modules for Artemis missions. · NASA Orion spacecraft and Artemis lunar-exploration missions; Airbus performs the work through ESA’s contractual role.
Airbus delivered ESM units into the NASA Orion integration flow; NASA is the end mission agency rather than Airbus’s primary ESM contracting authority.
government agency
European Space Agency— prime-contractor-and-spacecraft-supplierTell me more
Airbus builds European Service Modules for NASA Orion under contract to the European Space Agency. · Orion European Service Module serial production, including ESM-3 and later modules for Artemis missions.
ESA signed Airbus for ESM-3, and Airbus subsequently described ESM-4 as built under ESA contract.
government agency
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