Filtronic has landed the largest single order in its history from SpaceX. The UK company will build power amplifiers for the Starlink satellite network, Satellite Evolution Group reports.
The order covers Filtronic’s Cerus E-Band units: solid-state power amplifiers (SSPAs) built on the semiconductor gallium nitride (GaN) and designed for high-frequency communications. Filtronic says the deal underlines GaN’s growing role in high-throughput satellite systems and strengthens its own position in the field.
Filtronic calls SpaceX a long-standing customer and ties the new deal to the continued growth of Starlink’s high-speed internet service. One recent step in that growth came in late September, when Starship reached orbit for the first time and deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites.
Filtronic won its first SpaceX order for these amplifiers about a year ago. It has kept expanding its manufacturing capacity since then and sees the new contract as confirmation that the strategy was the right one.
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Production units under the deal will start shipping in Filtronic’s fiscal 2028, with deliveries running into early fiscal 2029. The company expects higher factory utilization as a result, and the contract already secures its order book for the next few years.
Filtronic also stresses the deal’s importance for the UK space industry. According to the company, British-developed technology will be used in one of the world’s largest satellite communications systems.
