Airbus provide 42 satellite platforms for U.S. security program

PARIS, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Airbus will provide 42 satellite platforms and support services to Northrop Grumman for a U.S. security program, the company said Tuesday.

These satellite platforms will be used for the U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA) Tranche 1 Transport Layer prototype constellation award, the European multinational aerospace corporation said in a press release.

According to Airbus, the Transport Layer provides assured, resilient, low-latency military data and connectivity worldwide to a full range of defense applications.

The commoditized satellite bus design will provide more power with a 300-500 kg bus for Northrop Grumman payload and future U.S. Government missions, it said.

"The SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer is a critical national security program, and we are honored to support Northrop Grumman and the Space Development Agency," said Rob Geckle, President and CEO of Airbus U.S. Space and Defense.

The production line of the spacecraft platform is currently delivering up to two satellites per day to Airbus OneWeb Satellites and has already produced over 400 of the 648 satellites on order for OneWeb, the document said.