Beyond Gravity to supply robotic arms for Swissto12 small GEO satellites

TAMPA, Fla. — Beyond Gravity has secured a contract to deliver robotic arm thruster pointing mechanisms for the small satellites Swissto12 is building for geostationary orbit.

The multi-axis Appmax 3 arms will be longer than earlier models and feature a wider range of joint movement, Wolfgang Pawlinetz, Beyond Gravity’s vice president of thermal and mechanisms, said Sep. 26.

Deliveries are slated between 2026 and 2027.

“Our robotic arm Appmax 3 allows a highly flexible system implementation and orientation of thrusters,” Pawlinetz told SpaceNews.

“It helps reducing the required number of thrusters on the satellite, can carry more than one thruster, optimizes fuel usage and combines both orbit raising and station keeping capability into one system.”

Compared to fixed thrusters, movable arms provide greater maneuverability for orbit raising and on-station operations. 

“Due to its maneuverability, it also eases deployment around and avoidance of adjacent solar array wings,” Pawlinetz added.

Design tradeoffs

Previous Beyond Gravity pointing systems supported one thruster per arm, requiring multiple arms for redundancy. Pawlinetz said the version developed for Swissto12’s HummingSat platform is its first designed to carry two thrusters on a single arm, cutting down hardware needs.

However, Appmax 3 takes up more spacecraft wall space at launch compared with Beyond Gravity’s more compact two-axis Appmax 2 system. Pawlinetz said this drawback can be mitigated if the system is integrated into the satellite design from the outset.

He declined to disclose details about other robotic arm customers or the number of Appmax 3 units included in the Swissto12 deal. But he confirmed the contract covers the five satellites the Swiss manufacturer has announced so far for Intelsat, Viasat and Astrum Mobile. 

The 1-ton Hummingsat platform, part of a new breed of satellites that are much smaller than typical multi-ton geostationary communications spacecraft, is slated to debut in 2027 with the IS-45 mission for Intelsat.

Beyond Gravity, also headquartered in Switzerland, says it has already delivered more than 100 electric thruster pointing mechanisms to satellite manufacturers worldwide.

For Swissto12, Beyond Gravity is also providing solar array drive mechanisms from its site in Zurich, Switzerland, with sliprings produced at Nyon to the south of the country, to help ensure the satellites generate sufficient power in orbit.