Filtronic secures 'landmark' £47.3 million SpaceX deal

A technology firm has secured a record £47.3 million deal to support Elon Musk’s interstellar venture.

Filtronic is set to supply SpaceX with a proprietary gallium nitride E-band product.

Bosses say the “landmark” contract is the largest single order to date for the County Durham-based firm.

They add the apparatus – which provides higher power and efficiency in satellites and aerospace equipment – will support SpaceX’s Starlink constellation, which uses low Earth orbit satellites to deliver high-speed internet connections.

It will be shipped in Filtronic’s 2027 financial year.

The contract builds on recent agreements with SpaceX, which include a £24 million partnership to supply power amplifiers and a £16.8 million deal to send power amplifiers and associated apparatus to support Starlink.

Nat Edington, chief executive at Filtronic, which operates from Sedgefield’s NETPark, said: “We are extremely proud to announce this landmark contract, which not only sets a new commercial record for Filtronic, but also reflects the success of our partnership with world-leading satellite company SpaceX.

“This contract is further testament to the world-class engineering talent of both teams working together.”

Mike Nicolls, Starlink vice president for engineering, added: “Filtronic is a valuable partner, and has been an important contributor to the success of the Starlink constellation.

“This next generation technology will provide further benefits to our system and our customers' experience.”

The deal caps a bumper period for Filtronic – which has additional sites in Leeds, Manchester and Cambridge – having secured further contracts with Leonardo and Airbus Defence and Space.

It also saw profit soar 352 per cent to £14 million in the year to May 31.

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