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SWISSto12’s, new name HummingSat, partners with ESA to construct a new product line and deliver a smallsat to launch

A new name, HummingSat, a new logo, a new product line of small telecommunications satellites, and a new partner, ESA to complete this venture.

A small but powerful European telecommunications satellite, HummingSat, the first of a series, is to be developed under a contract signed between ESA and SWISSto12, an innovative company based in Renens, Switzerland.

A new name, HummingSat, a new logo, a new product line of small telecommunications satellites, and a new partner, ESA to complete this venture. The name is inspired by the Hummingbird (or Colibri), small and agile by nature, as our small Satellite will be once deployed and operational.

HummingSat operates in geostationary orbit at 36’000 kilometers above the Earth and brings a new solution to connect society with modern technology.

Josef Aschbacher, Director General of ESA, said, “The Micro-Geostationary Partnership Project (HummingSat) is a trend setter for ESA.

This new satellite product line and the first protoflight model are in development and construction under a Partnership contract between ESA and SWISSto12 for delivery by SWISSto12 of a satellite to an operator acting as the anchor commercial end-customer with a planned launch date in 2025.

A HummingSat is significantly smaller than conventional geostationary telecommunication satellites, and therefore benefits from a rideshare launch strategy. Despite its small size, the satellite powers a highly capable telecommunications payload with approximately 2kW of power, which is enabled by SWISSto12’s unique 3D printed Radio Frequency products and systems. HummingSat provides satellite operators with a bespoke and competitive solution for delivery of regional or gap-filling services as well as economic replacement of ageing satellites.

Emile de Rijk, CEO of SWISSto12, “SWISSto12 is proudly investing in the HummingSat product line since several years, I am now thrilled to see it has matured to become a competitive offering for satellite telecommunication operators. Our first satellite is now fully launched in its design and construction, and we aim at making reuse of this development to commercialize our HummingSats based on a standardized platform along with optimized payloads to service at best each one of our customers.”