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Intelsat chooses SWISSto12 to build Intelsat 45, a landmark for next generation geostationary satellites
Intelsat becomes first commercial customer for SWISSto12’s innovative HummingSat geostationary telecommunications satellite, developed with its patented 3D printing technology in collaboration with the European Space Agency
Lausanne, Switzerland, November 07 2022
SWISSto12, Switzerland’s fastest-growing aerospace company and a leading manufacturer of advanced satellite payloads and systems, and Intelsat, operator of the world’s largest integrated satellite and terrestrial network today announced that SWISSto12 will produce the Intelsat 45 satellite based on its innovative HummingSat product line.
Scheduled for launch in 2025, Intelsat 45 (IS-45) will provide Ku-band fixed-satellite services enabling Intelsat to provide specialized and efficient service to Media and Network customers.
Dr. Emile de Rijk, SWISSto12 founder and CEO, said
“The SWISSto12 product brings two innovations to meet our business needs. The small size addresses a gap in our fleet strategy, enabling us to be increasingly more targeted to meet specific customer requirements.”
SWISSto12’s HummingSat is a small, innovative telecommunications satellite developed in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) through its public-private-partnership program. Benefiting from unique and patented 3D printing technologies.
Named after the tiny, agile, fast-moving and yet apparently stationary hummingbird, HummingSats are just over one cubic metre in volume, which is three to ten times smaller than conventional satellites that are placed in geostationary orbit, some 36 000 kilometres above Earth. It complements the much larger legacy spacecrafts commercialized by established companies, by providing a cost-effective opportunity to boost and expand capacity where needed. Each HummingSat is designed to launch as a rideshare mission on a rocket carrying one or more large spacecraft to orbit. The new satellite product line recently passed its system requirements review, assessed by a panel of ESA experts.
Press Contacts
Website:
www.swissto12.ch
Linkedin:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/swissto12-sa
Intelsat press release:
https://www.intelsat.com/newsroom/intelsat-chooses-swissto12-to-build-intelsat-45/
About Intelsat
As the foundational architects of satellite technology, Intelsat operates the world’s most trusted satellite telecom network. We apply our unparalleled expertise and global scale to connect people, businesses, and communities, no matter how difficult the challenge.
Intelsat is building the future of global communications with the world’s first hybrid, multi-orbit, software-defined 5G network designed for simple, seamless, and secure coverage precisely when and where our customers most need it. Follow the leader in global connectivity and “Imagine Here,” with us, at Intelsat.com.
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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