Data[]
| Category. | Statistic. |
|---|---|
| Launch vehicle. | N\A. |
| Launch date. | 1990. |
| Launch site. | N\A. |
| Ceased operations. | No. |
| Owner(s). | Originally owned by the UK MoD, but now Paradigm Secure Communications, a subsidiary of Airbus Defence and Space. |
| Major contractor(s) . | British Aerospace Dynamics (BAe Dynamics), but bought by Airbus Group SE |
| Is it still in orbit. | Yes. |
| Launch mass. | 800 kg. |
| Nationality(s). | UK, but later EU/NATO. |
| Satellite type. | Military communications satellites. |
| Links. | http://www.space-airbusds.com/en/programmes/skynet-4nato-iv-.html, https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Skynet_(satellite). |
History[]
Skynet 4 satellites have few similarities to the earlier generations. The cylindrical body of Skynet 1 and 2 was replaced by a large square body housing antennas with deployable solar-cell arrays. This marks the technological improvement from spin-stabilisation, used in earlier cylindrical satellites, to three-axis stabilisation using momentum wheels and reaction wheels controlling the satellite gyroscopically.
Also see[]
- Space satellites
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
- NATO (World political shenanigans)
- Secretary-General of NATO
- NATO command structures and HQs
- Soviet/NATO invasion of Finland
- NATO's Baltic Air Policing Unit