Airbus uses BelugaST to transport outsized freight

Airbus has utilised one of its five-strong BelugaST aircraft, based on the A300-600 design to deliver the Airbus-built Hotbird 13G satellite for Eutelsat to the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral in Florida, said an official release. This milestone marks the first time since 2009 that A BelugaST has visited the US – when it transported the International Space Station European module ‘Tranquility’. For this latest mission, the BelugaST used 30% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) for its departure flight from Toulouse, France. The flight followed the successful launch of the twin Hotbird 13F satellite by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The spacecraft are the first members of the new “Eurostar Neo” family of Airbus telecommunications satellites, based on a next-generation platform and technologies developed with the support of the European Space Agency (ESA), and others, including the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) and the UK Space Agency (UKSA). Airbus launched a new air cargo service using its five-strong BelugaST fleet, based on the A300-600 design, to help meet outsized freight transportation needs in January, the release added.