The SKYNET 6A satellite for the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) has gone into production following the first metal-cutting ceremony on October 11 at Airbus' Stevenage facility in the UK, which was attended by the UK Minister for Defence Procurement Jeremy Quin. The satellite is based on Airbus's Eurostar Neo telecommunications spacecraft, with the company awarded a contract worth more than ￡500m in July 2020 to design and build Skynet 6A. The programme achieved its Preliminary Design Review in December 2020. In an October 12 release, Quin stated: "Secure military satellite communications are vital for our ability to conduct operations on a global scale. Seeing the first hardware for the next-generation Skynet 6A satellite shows we are on track for launch in 2025 and ready to upgrade and enhance the UK's global military communications network."
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