SWISSto12 is developing small Geostationary satellites for Intelsat and Viasat, specifically for the Intelsat 45 and Inmarsat-8 missions.
Intelsat, Viasat+Inmarsat, the European Space Agency (ESA) and SWISSto12 have announced key advancements in the development of the HummingSat product line, following Preliminary Design Reviews (PDR) for the Intelsat 45 and Inmarsat 8 missions.
The HummingSat product line, named after the hummingbird for its small, agile and efficient characteristics, offers a more compact and cost-effective alternative to traditional geostationary satellites. SWISSto12 is developing HummingSat with support from ESA’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) programme, involving nine ESA member states in a collaborative Partnership Project.
SWISSto12 is working closely with anchor customers Intelsat and Viasat+Inmarsat to validate the HummingSat design in orbit. Intelsat 45 will be the first mission under the programme, followed by the Inmarsat 8 mission, positioning SWISSto12 to capture a significant share of the growing global market for small and flexible geostationary satellites.
Four satellites have already been sold, with Intelsat 45 set to launch first to support media and network services. The Inmarsat 8 satellites will provide critical global safety services and emergency communications for maritime and aviation industries.
At roughly the size of an industrial washing machine and weighing around 1,000 kg, HummingSats are much smaller and more affordable than traditional geostationary satellites. They can also benefit from reduced launch costs by hitching rides on shared missions. SWISSto12’s cutting-edge 3D printing technology and advanced RF systems will enhance payload performance, reduce manufacturing time, and lower production costs.
Laurent Jaffart, ESA Director of Connectivity and Secure Communications, said: “HummingSat exemplifies a successful ESA Partnership Project and European collaboration in commercial satcoms. Established in record time, the project benefits from a dedicated ESA team working closely with SWISSto12, including one of our most experienced engineers embedded with the industrial team in Switzerland. Following the success of previous ARTES Partnership Projects like Neosat and Novacom, HummingSat is poised to generate an exceptional return on investment for European and Canadian states participating in the programme.”
Loid Saillard, VP of Satellite Programmes and Space Innovation at Intelsat, added: “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), commented: “Were 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. The HummingSat product will deliver on the economics offered by the GEO SmallSat solutions and we look forward to including the Inmarsat-8s in our fleet.”
Emile de Rijk, CEO and founder of SWISSto12, stated: “SWISSto12 and its partner ESA have put tremendous efforts into the design and optimisation of HummingSat over the last couple of years. 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.”
