Swissto12 to build small optical relay GEO satellite for Space Compass

TAMPA, Fla. — Swissto12, the Switzerland-based small geostationary satellite specialist, has signed a contract to build the first optical relay spacecraft using its washing machine-sized HummingSat platform.

The company announced the contract March 23 with Japanese data relay venture Space Compass, which plans to use the spacecraft to support near-real-time Earth observation services.

“Our HummingSat is the first commercial GEO optical relay satellite in the Smallsat class,” Swissto12 CEO Emile de Rijk said via email, contrasting it with larger, government-backed systems in geostationary orbit such as Europe’s EDRS and Japan’s LUCAS.

The spacecraft, known as SC-A, is slated for delivery in Japan’s fiscal year 2028, which runs from April 2028 through March 2029.

Small GEO gains traction

The SC-A contract marks the sixth HummingSat order Swissto12 has announced, following deals with SES, Viasat and Astrum Mobile, all of which use radio-frequency payloads. The platform is scheduled to make its on-orbit debut in 2027 with SES Intelsat 45 mission.

Swissto12 is procuring optical communication terminals “from an experienced equipment supplier” for SC-A , which is intended as a pathfinder for a broader optical relay network.

“The SC-A mission will demonstrate that significant and market competitive optical data relay services can be deployed from GEO based on a SmallSat platform such as HummingSat,” de Rijk added.

“There are plans to expand this to multiple satellites to achieve global coverage, which can be achieved with HummingSat.”

Space Compass, a joint venture between Japan’s flagship satellite operator Sky Perfect JSAT and telecoms giant NTT, aims to offer the relay service as a dual-use platform for government and commercial customers. 

The company has already announced a contract with Japan’s Ministry of Defense related to its optical communications plans.

Last year, Space Compass announced a feasibility study with Hellas Sat to assess interoperability between its planned relay capabilities and the Greek operator’s upcoming Hellas Sat 5 satellite, which is being designed with an optical payload.

De Rijk said demand remains strong for small GEO satellites in sovereign and commercial markets, particularly for regional and replacement missions, as operators seek lower-cost alternatives amid a shift toward multi-orbit and LEO systems.

U.S.-based Astranis is also racking up orders of similarly sized satellites, while Finland’s ReOrbit recently signed a deal with asset-financing company SLI for two sub-ton GEO communications satellites.