Rendering of Intelsat-45, based on the HummingSat product line by Swissto12. Photo: Swissto12.

Swissto12 completed preliminary design reviews with Viasat and Intelsat for both operators’ upcoming HummingSat satellites. Swissto12 is building small Geostationary (GEO) satellites for both Intelsat and Viasat for the Intelsat 45 and Inmarsat-8 satellites, respectively. 

HummingSat is also developed in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) under the framework of ESA’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems, ARTES program.

Swissto12 describes the HummingSat as the size of an industrial washing machine, with a mass of around 1,000 kg. The company says the smaller GEO platform is more affordable to build and launch. Swissto12 plans to go after the global market for small and flexible Geostationary satellites with this satellite model. 

Intelsat ordered a HummingSat for IS-45 in 2022 to provide Ku-band fixed-satellite services for media and network customers. The satellite is scheduled for launch in 2025

Inmarsat, now a Viasat company, ordered three HummingSats in 2023 for the eighth-generation of its L-band network. The satellites are set to launch by 2026. 

“Swissto12 and its partner ESA have put tremendous efforts into the design and optimization of HummingSat over the last couple of years,” commented Swissto12 CEO Emile de Rijk. “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.”

[More from Via Satelite: Swissto12 CEO Emile de Rijk on the future of GEO in our September edition]