Airbus Defense and Space owns and operates three SKYNET 4 satellites; SKYNET 4C, SKYNET 4E and SKYNET 4F. Each SKYNET 4 satellite provides either X-band or UHF connectivity for military or government operations. SKYNET 4C is currently inclined at 33 degrees and is visible to the South Pole. Due to this distinctive capability, SKYNET 4C is currently providing up to 5 hours of communications to the National Science Foundation each day.
The SKYNET 4 system has now been superseded by the SKYNET 5 military communications system, which is now considered the most powerful, military X-band satellites commercially available in orbit. To find out more about SKYNET 5’s CLICK HERE
| S/C launch Mass | ~1.5 tonnes |
| Power (EOL) | ~1.5 kW |
| S/C Autonomy wrt EOL | Nil |
| Designed Orbital positioning | Geosynchronous – up to 4º inclination |
| Design Life | 7 Years |
| X-band Transponders | 3 x 50W (4 Channels) |
| X-band Antennas | Global Horns plus 2x Movable (Zone) plus Special (anti interference) |
| UHF Channels | 2 x 25kHz, Stage1 s/c fixed, Stage2 s/c tuneable |
| UHF Antennas | Single Tx / Rx antenna |
*This information is variable and subject to change
