The E3000 was the first commercial satellite family to use lithium–ion batteries rather than the older nickel-based technologies for power supply during eclipses.
The E3000 bus can be modified extensively to meet customer requirements, but most of the E3000 satellites have a launch mass of between 4,500 and 6,000 kg (9,900 and 13,200 lb), and solar arrays between 35 and 45 m (115 and 148 ft) providing between nine and sixteen kilowatts at end of life.
In March 2015, Airbus Defence and Space received a delivery of new 3D-printed brackets for mounting telemetry and tele-command antennas, being the first space-qualified 3D-printed component of its kind.
[3] Also in March 2015, Airbus signed a contract with Snecma for 5-kilowatt PPS5000 Hall-effect thrusters for the E3000 Electric Orbit Raising (E3000EOR) variant of the satellite bus.
New thrusters would allow reducing the weight of a satellite by up to 40%.,[4] as Türksat 5A and Türksat 5B An improved model based on the E3000 called the Eurostar Neo was announced in 2017, offering electric, hybrid, or chemical propulsion, in addition to a scalable power range of 7 kW to 25 kW.