Latest News

ESA Grants Swissto12 Funding for HummingSat Small GEO Product Line

By Rachel Jewett | January 18, 2023

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

Satellite payload manufacturer Swissto12 is receiving funding from the European Space Agency (ESA) Ministerial Council for its HummingSat satellite product line. The company announced Jan. 19 that the HummingSat Partnership Project with the European Space Agency (ESA) is moving forward with more than 30 million euros ($32.45 million) in funding from the ESA Ministerial Conference meeting at the end of November last year.

Swissto12’s HummingSat product line of smaller Geostationary Orbit (GEO) satellites is being developed in partnership with ESA. Recently, SWISSto12 announced that it will produce the first satellite of this product line, the IS-45, for Intelsat, a significant contract for the company.

“At Swissto12, we are proud to be at the core of Europe’s new space ecosystem. With our HummingSat product line, we are building a next-generation telecommunications infrastructure with the goal of reliably connecting communities and businesses. ESA has been an invaluable partner in funding and expertise along this journey. The new funding will help us to make the disruptive technology of HummingSat a global success,” Emile de Rijk, Swissto12 founder and CEO, said in a statement.