Inmarsat Selects SWISSto12's HummingSat for I-8 Satellites to Power L-Band Network
Inmarsat, a world leader in global, mobile satellite communications, has announced that SWISSto12, one of Europe’s fastest growing aerospace providers, will develop its new eighth-generation of spacecraft. The three I-8 satellites will provide additional network resilience, securing the future of Inmarsat’s global L-band safety services.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230519005018/en/
An illustration of SWISSto12's HummingSat in geostationary orbit. Image credit: SWISSto12
SWISSto12, headquartered in Switzerland, will use its HummingSat satellite platform - in conjunction with unique 3D-printing technologies and specialised Radio-Frequency (RF) and payload products - to develop and manufacture the geostationary satellites, which will launch by 2026.
Just 1.5 cubic metres in volume, the I-8’s will use SWISSto12’s innovative new class of spacecraft which has a form factor up to five times smaller than conventional geostationary satellites yet can still deliver critical safety services with certainty.
The three l-8 satellites will continue to provide the extra layer of resilience to complement the existing constellation and Inmarsat’s two I-6 generation satellites, which were launched in December 2021 and February 2023. In March 2023, Inmarsat announced the first, I-6 F1, had successfully completed testing with ground stations in Western Australia and has now started to provide Ka-band services for the fast-growing Asia Pacific region. The company will begin introducing its L-band capacity and transitioning services to the new satellite throughout 2023.
The second, I-6 F2, which launched in February 2023, is expected to enter operational service over Europe, Africa, and much of the Americas in early 2024.
Each I-8 will also extend Inmarsat’s history of launching and operating radionavigation transponders for Governments and international space agencies. These transponders can enable Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) services around the world, for example for air traffic controllers or coastguards. SBAS systems uses satellite connectivity, land-based infrastructure, and software to enhance standard GPS/Galileo accuracy of 5 to 10 metres to as little as just 10cm.
Such precise tracking could enable pinpoint safety navigation on aircraft, help emergency services reach vessels in distress more quickly, or allow a raft of industrial innovations, like device tracking in agriculture or advanced, automated transport management systems.
The I-8 satellites will continue to secure Inmarsat’s global safety services into the 2040’s. The company was founded in 1979 under the auspices of the United Nations specifically to provide highly reliable safety communications. Today some 1.6 million seafarers and over 200 airlines rely on Inmarsat’s global L-band network to deliver 99.9% availability every day.
The Inmarsat-8 programme forms part of Inmarsat’s fully-funded technology roadmap, which will include five new satellite payloads added by 2025 to further Inmarsat’s high-speed broadband Global Xpress (GX) network with the launch of the software defined satellites GX 7,8, and 9, aimed for 2025, and the polar coverage satellites GX10a and b, which are aimed for the first half of 2024.
Peter Hadinger, Chief Technology Officer, Inmarsat, said “Every single day people around the world depend on Inmarsat services. Our customers have demanding, and often safety critical, missions that rely on our satellite technology for links that can make the difference. The I-8’s will not only underpin our existing capabilities for the future; but enable ever more advanced safety innovations like SBAS that can ultimately help save more lives. We have chosen SWISSto12 because they have the ground-breaking technology that can make it a reality.”
Emile de Rijk, CEO, SWISSto12, said “We are delighted that Inmarsat has selected SWISSto12 as its partner for its landmark l-8 program. It demonstrates that, with HummingSat, we have created a highly-advanced new class of small geostationary spacecraft that delivers world-leading connectivity capabilities at a fraction of the cost. Our proprietary 3D-printing of Radio Frequency payload technology allows us to push the limits of existing capability and service new and existing business cases for geostationary satellite communications. This is an important step in our journey to better connect and protect every corner of the world.”
ENDS
ABOUT INMARSAT
Inmarsat delivers world leading, innovative, advanced and exceptionally reliable global, mobile communications across the world – in the air, at sea and on land - that are enabling a new generation of commercial, government and mission-critical services. Inmarsat is powering the digitalisation of the maritime industry, making operations more efficient and safer than ever before. It is driving a new era of inflight passenger services for aviation, while ensuring that aircraft can fly with maximum efficiency and safety. Furthermore, Inmarsat is enabling the rapid expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) and enabling the next wave of world-changing technologies that will underpin the connected society and help build a sustainable future. And now Inmarsat is developing the first-of-its-kind, multi-dimensional communications network of the future, ORCHESTRA.
In November 2021, Inmarsat and Viasat announced the planned combination of the two companies, to create a new leader in global communications.
For further information, follow us: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram.
ABOUT SWISSto12
SWISSto12 is a leading manufacturer of advanced satellite payloads and systems, including the HummingSat: a small yet powerful geostationary telecommunications satellite developed in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) through its public-private-partnership program. The first commercial customer of HummingSat was announced in November 2022. The company’s satellites and payloads benefit from unique and patented 3D-printing technologies and associated Radio Frequency (RF) product designs that deliver lightweight, compact, highly performing, and competitive RF functionality. Besides its space portfolio, the company is also active in telecommunications, surveillance and radar applications for the aeronautic industry. SWISSto12 has developed commercially with success in Europe, the USA and Israel and is amongst the fastest growing aerospace companies in Europe. SWISSto12 spun off in 2011 from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), is privately owned and backed by prominent Swiss and European Investors.
For further information, visit https://swissto12.com
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230519005018/en/
Contact information
For interviews or images, contact Olly Cooper
olly@thoughtldr.com
+44 07957 004545
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
SK Capital Announces Definitive Agreement to Invest in Swixx BioPharma AG to Drive the Next Phase of Growth and Global Expansion15.12.2025 13:30:00 EET | Press release
SK Capital Partners, LP (“SK Capital”), a New York-based private investment firm focused on the life sciences, specialty materials, and ingredients sectors, today announced that its affiliate has reached an agreement to invest in Swixx BioPharma AG (“Swixx” or the “Company”) to accelerate the Company’s next phase of growth and global expansion. The investment values the Company in excess of EUR €1.5 billion. Swixx is the global leader in rest-of-world pharmaceutical commercialization services dedicated to delivering innovative, life-saving medications to underserved and hard-to-reach markets. Stuart Swanson and Petr Němec, Swixx’s Co-Founders, and Jean-Michel Lespinasse and Petr Pipal, Swixx’s CEO and CFO, respectively, will all retain significant ownership stakes in Swixx as part of the transaction. Existing institutional investors HBM Healthcare Investments, a Swiss-listed investment company for the global healthcare market, and Mérieux Equity Partners, a leading healthcare-specializ
Safe Software Recognized as a Niche Player in 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Data Integration Tools15.12.2025 13:00:00 EET | Press release
Safe Software, a global leader in data integration and transformation, has once again been recognized in the 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Data Integration Tools, marking the sixth consecutive year the company has been included in this prestigious report. Safe Software’s FME Platform has evolved well beyond its geospatial roots to become the only All-Data, Any-AI Integration Platform, empowering organizations worldwide to connect all data, applications, and AI technologies anywhere, at any scale, and with complete flexibility. With a community of more than 200,000 enthusiastic users and 25,000+ organizations in over 125 countries, FME continues to redefine data integration by delivering a no-code enterprise solution that unifies data movement, automation, and AI connectivity. “Our continued recognition reflects the trust of our customers and the innovation of our team,” said Don Murray, CEO and Co-Founder of Safe Software. “We’re proud to help organizations integrate data seamlessl
GENESIS Pharma announces a new partnership with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Europe Ltd. for the commercialization of donidalorsen for hereditary angioedema in Central and Eastern Europe15.12.2025 11:00:00 EET | Press release
ANNOUNCEMENT FOR EUROPEAN MEDICAL & PHARMACEUTICAL TRADE MEDIA AND EUROPEAN FINANCIAL MEDIA ONLY GENESIS Pharma, a regional biopharma company focused on the commercialization of innovative medicines in Central and Eastern Europe, announces an exclusive agreementwithOtsuka Pharmaceutical Europe Ltd. (OPEL), the European operation of global healthcare company Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., for donidalorsen. Under the terms of the agreement, GENESIS Pharma will exclusively distribute and commercializedonidalorsen in fourteen markets: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. In November 2025, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) adopted a positive opinion, recommending the granting of a marketing authorisation for donidalorsen in the routine prevention of recurrent attacks of hereditary angioedema (HAE) in adults and adolescents aged 12 years and older. The CHMP opinion is c
BitGo Secures OCC Approval to Convert to Federally Chartered National Trust Bank13.12.2025 03:10:00 EET | Press release
BitGo Holdings, Inc. (“BitGo”), the digital asset infrastructure company, today announced that the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”) approved its application to convert BitGo Trust Company, Inc., a South Dakota-chartered trust company, to a national bank named BitGo Bank & Trust, National Association (N.A.). With today’s OCC approval of its conversion, BitGo’s Trust Company subsidiary is now operating as BitGo Bank & Trust, National Association (N.A.). BitGo Bank & Trust, N.A. will operate under a single, uniform federal supervisory regime, enabling it to deliver the clarity, governance, and regulatory certainty institutions expect from a federally regulated fiduciary. This approval reinforces BitGo’s position as an institutional foundation for the modern financial system, combining bank-level oversight with the security, compliance, and scalability that define BitGo’s infrastructure. Under the national bank charter, and subject to applicable law and OCC requirements, B
FIA, Formula 1 Group and All 11 Race Teams Officially Sign the Ninth Concorde Agreement, Securing Strength and Stability for the Sport in Pivotal Five-Year Agreement12.12.2025 18:10:00 EET | Press release
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the global governing body for motor sport and the federation for mobility organisations worldwide, and Formula 1 Group, the Commercial Rights Holder, have today announced the signing of the Concorde Governance Agreement, a crucial contract defining the regulatory framework and governance terms of the FIA Formula One World Championship until 2030. This follows the announcement in March that the 2026 Commercial Concorde Agreement had been signed by all the teams and Formula 1 Group. Together, these agreements constitute the ninth Concorde Agreement, representing a major step forward in the professionalisation and global development of the sport. First introduced in 1981, the Concorde Agreements are designed to promote sporting fairness, technological innovation and operational excellence, and align all key stakeholders around a shared vision for structured governance and continued growth of the sport. Each iteration of the Concorde Agr
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom