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- Intelsat, Viasat+Inmarsat, ESA and SWISSto12 announce major step on Preliminary Design Reviews (PDR) on the Intelsat 45 and Inmarsat 8 missions
- 22.10.2024
Intelsat, Viasat+Inmarsat, ESA and SWISSto12 announce major step on Preliminary Design Reviews (PDR) on the Intelsat 45 and Inmarsat 8 missions
- By Dr. Emile de Rijk
Renens, Switzerland, September 17th, 2024
Intelsat, Viasat+Inmarsat, the European Space Agency (ESA) and SWISSto12, announce major progress on the development of the HummingSat product line with Preliminary Design Reviews (PDR) meetings held on both the Intelsat 45 and Inmarsat 8 missions.
The HummingSat product line, is named after the tiny, agile, fast-moving yet apparently stationary hummingbird. It features a smaller size and lower costs than traditional Geostationary satellites, and is being developed by SWISSto12 with the support of ESA through a Partnership Project to which 9 ESA member states have subscribed, under the framework of ESA’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems, ARTES program.
As part of its partnership with ESA, SWISSto12 is developing and performing in orbit validation of HummingSat with its two anchor customers: global satellite operators and industry leaders Intelsat and ViaSat+Inmarsat, who ordered respectively the first HummingSat on Intelsat 45 the program and subsequent Inmarsat 8 program.
Leveraging upon these first missions, SWISSto12 plans to capture a significant part of the expanding global market of small and flexible geostationary satellites. Four satellites have already been sold with the first launch of Intelsat 45 expected to support Intelsat’s media and network customers. Subsequent Inmarsat 8 satellites will provide worldwide safety services and emergency communications for ships and aircraft.
At around the size of an industrial washing machine and a mass of ≈ 1000kg, HummingSat is much smaller than conventional geostationary satellites. This makes them more affordable to build, and launch costs are reduced as they can piggyback on so-called ride-share missions. SWISSto12’s unique yet flight proven 3D-printing technology and associated RF products will help boost the payload performance, streamline the manufacturing process, and reduce the build time and cost of production.
Laurent Jaffart, ESA Director of Connectivity and Secure Communications said:
“Following the success of previous ARTES Partnership Projects like Neosat and Novacom, HummingSat is poised to generate exceptional return on investment for European and Canadian states participating in the programme.”
Loid Saillard, VP Satellite Programs and Space Innovation at Intelsat, said:
“Congratulations to the SWISSto12 team for working to refine the design of their HummingSat product line that culminated with the successful completion of the PDR. SWISSto12 continues to grow their team with top talent and mature their satellite design in order to meet the Intelsat mission.”
Mark Dickinson, Head of Space Systems at ViaSat (acquired Inmarsat), said:
“We’re pleased to see the progress made by the high-calibre SWISSto12 team on the HummingSat design at the Inmarsat-8 PDR this summer. There continues to be outstanding collaboration between the SWISSto12, ESA and Viasat+Inmarsat teams.”
Emile de Rijk, CEO and founder of SWISSto12, said:
“I am delighted of what we have achieved together through the completion of our first PDR with a satellite design that combines both innovation, small size and lower cost while enabling competitive mission capabilities and uncompromised reliability for 15 year missions
in GEO.”
About SWISSto12
SWISSto12 is a leading manufacturer of advanced satellite RF products, payloads and systems, including the HummingSat: a small yet powerful geostationary telecommunications satellite developed in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) through its public-private-partnership program. The company’s RF products benefit from unique and patented 3D-printing technologies and associated Radio Frequency (RF) product designs that deliver lightweight, compact, highly performing, and competitive RF functionality.
Besides its space portfolio, the company is also active in telecommunications and surveillance applications for the aeronautic industry. SWISSto12 has developed commercially with success in Europe and in the USA, and is amongst the fastest growing aerospace companies in Europe. SWISSto12 spun off in 2011 from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), is privately owned and backed by prominent Swiss and European Investors.
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