Swissto12 clears PDR for debut small GEO D2D satellite

TAMPA, Fla. — Swissto12 has completed the Preliminary Design Review for its first direct-to-device connectivity satellite, the Swiss small geostationary spacecraft manufacturer announced Sept. 15.

The company announced a contract in March to deliver the 1,000-kilogram Neastar-1 satellite for Singapore’s Astrum Mobile, which aims to provide low-bandwidth multimedia and connectivity services across Asia.

Roughly the size of a washing machine, the spacecraft is based on the HummingSat platform currently slated to fly for the first time in early 2027, when Swissto12 expects to deploy the IS-45 satellite for anchor customer Intelsat.

“Reaching PDR within just a few months highlights the strength of our standardized HummingSat product line, which delivers competitive performance and rapid turnaround,” Swissto12 CEO Emile de Rijk said in a statement. 

According to Swissto12, its proprietary additive manufacturing processes are helping speed up development while lowering production costs for HummingSat, although IS-45 was originally due to launch in 2025. The company did not say when it plans to deliver Neastar-1 for Astrum.

Viasat-owned Inmarsat has also ordered satellites from Swissto12, which like Neastar-1 would provide connectivity using L-band services.

However, Neastar-1 would be Swissto12’s first to deliver connectivity directly to standard smartphones and handheld devices.

Astrum plans to use the spacecraft’s high-power L-band payload to provide multimedia, Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity and emergency alert services across Asia-Pacific, engineered to maintain service even during severe weather.

The HummingSat platform was developed with support from the European Space Agency under a public-private partnership.