The work will draw on SSC Space ground stations at Esrange Space Center in Sweden, the Inuvik Satellite Station Facility in Canada and Punta Arenas Station in Chile. SSC Space will provide routine telemetry, tracking and command services and receive mission data while the satellites are in orbit.
Pléiades Neo delivers native optical imagery at 30 cm resolution, while Pléiades Neo Next is designed to provide native resolution in the 20 cm class together with higher revisit performance. Airbus said the combined fleet will strengthen its Earth observation capabilities and reinforce its position in geospatial technologies.
SSC Space will also support launch and early orbit operations for Pléiades Neo Next, which is planned for 2028. The contract includes optimisation of the ground segment to meet enhanced latency requirements and accelerate delivery of data to Airbus customers.
“We are excited to expand our collaboration with Airbus on the next generation of its geospatial capabilities, including Pléiades Neo and Pléiades Neo Next,” said Stefan Pessirilo, Business Development Director at SSC Space. “We will support advanced operations and enable low-latency data delivery – meeting the growing demand for faster access to Earth observation data across both defense and commercial markets.”
“This collaboration highlights Airbus’ ability to work with solid European partners to continuously enhance its services, remain at the forefront of Earth observation capabilities and serve its customers at best,” said Eric Even, Head of Space Digital at Airbus Defence and Space. “Our continued work with SSC Space demonstrates our excellent collaboration and the performance of our joint activities.“
