Intelsat 45 to be Based on SWISSto12 HummingSat Platform
Intelsat has selected scale-up manufacturer SWISSto12 to produce the Intelsat 45 satellite (IS-45). With the order, Intelsat becomes the first commercial customer for the innovative HummingSat geostationary (GEO) telecommunications product.
“The small size addresses a gap in our fleet strategy, enabling us to be increasingly more targeted to meet specific customer requirements."
Jean-Luc Froeliger, SVP of Space Systems, Intelsat.
Scheduled for launch in 2025, Intelsat 45 will provide Ku-band fixed-satellite services enabling Intelsat to provide specialized and efficient service to Media and Network customers.
“The SWISSto12 product brings two innovations to meet our business needs,” said Jean-Luc Froeliger, SVP of Space Systems, Intelsat. “The small size addresses a gap in our fleet strategy, enabling us to be increasingly more targeted to meet specific customer requirements. In addition, the additive-manufacturing process used for this spacecraft is paving the way for faster satellite build cycles in the future. We are confident in the HummingSat technology and want to support the success of new players in the field of commercial communication satellites.”
HummingSat Scales Down the Size of Geostationary Satellites
HummingSats are just over one cubic meter in volume, or about one-tenth the size of conventional satellites placed in geostationary orbit. SWISSto12 is developing the satellites in collaboration with ESA through its public-private-partnership program. Each HummingSat is designed to launch as a rideshare mission on a rocket carrying one or more large spacecraft to GEO transfer orbit. The new satellite product line recently passed its system requirements review, assessed by a panel of ESA experts.
"The award of the IS-45 program by Intelsat is a landmark moment for SWISSto12," said Dr. Emile de Rijk, SWISSto12 founder and CEO. "We are humbled to embark on this journey with Intelsat, who are the foundational architects of satellite communications. It is unprecedented for a specialist high growth scale-up to secure a contract of this depth with a leading telecommunications operator. It provides a solid start to our HummingSat product line to open a new chapter in the satellite communications industry.”
The HummingSat Partnership Project is a showcase for innovation and disruptive technologies introduced through ESA working hand-in-hand with the space industry. ESA bears the development risks and the private partner assumes the commercial risk. With this partnership approach, challenging projects such as HummingSat become viable for the commercial market.
(Images provided with Intelsat news release and from file)