Skynet 6A military satellite completes module integration for United Kingdom
NewsMay 21, 2025
HARWELL, United Kingdom. The United Kingdom’s Skynet 6A military communications satellite has completed integration of its communications and service modules, Airbus announced in a statement.
The integration took place at the National Satellite Test Facility (NSTF) in Harwell, Oxfordshire, and marks the first time a large geostationary communications satellite has been coupled on UK soil, the statement reads.
Skynet 6A is being built at Airbus facilities in Stevenage and Portsmouth and will now undergo final baseline testing in Stevenage before returning to the NSTF for environmental testing later this year, the company says.
The satellite is scheduled to enter service in 2027 and is expected to provide greater communications capacity than its Skynet 5 predecessors, the company says.
The spacecraft is also the first to undergo testing at the NSTF, which is operated by the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s RAL Space division, according to the statement.
