Former LeoSat CEO Mark Rigolle Lands at German LEO Constellation Startup

Mark Rigolle, LeoSat CEO. Photo: LeoSat.

Mark Rigolle, the former CEO of O3b Networks and LeoSat Enterprises, announced his new position as CEO of KLEO Connect GmbH – another global entrant into the Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation market.

KLEO Connect GmbH is described as an early-stage company looking to provide global satellite data communications services. The company has offices in Berlin and Munich. The group is currently working with international partners to design a constellation of LEO satellites and user terminals and ground infrastructure.

LeoSat announced it was folding in November 2019 after losing the financial backing of partners Sky Perfect JSAT and Hispasat. Days after the announcement, Rigolle sat down for an interview with Via Satellite, during which he was asked about his future plans.

“I feel like I have a lot of experience that I would like to continue to use,” he said. “The one thing I find remarkable, if not upsetting about the industry, is that we seem to think about technical solutions first, and then only about markets as an afterthought. That is the wrong way to go about it.”