Airborne Aerospace B.V. announced it has been selected by Airbus Netherlands B.V. to supply panel and yoke substrates for the Sparkwing solar arrays to be provided to MDA Space AURORATM, the software-defined satellite product line enabling constellations to extend communication networks to every corner of the world.

Under the MDA AURORATM contract, Airbus will supply the Sparkwing solar arrays wings, consisting of two wings with five panels each and providing a photovoltaic area of well over 30 sqm. Airborne will provide 700 high-precision and ultra-stiff composite substrate panels, combining advanced aerospace expertise with highly automated composite production technologies.

The Airborne production will deliver over 700 solar array substrate panels, ramping up to a consistent output of 40 panels per month for the MDA Aurora satellite constellations, while still leaving room for more capacity. This capacity is enabled by automated production processes, incorporating the Automated Tape Layer (ATL) robot for the composite laminates. Airborne’s automated production line is engineered for scalability, ensuring both reliability and efficiency to meet current and future market demands.