Airspace Internet Exchange Inc. (AirspaceIX) wireless technology company, founded by Thomas Choi, which launched Curvalux, the world’s most affordable and power efficient wireless broadband platform announces the establishment and launch of Saturn Satellite Networks Inc. (Saturn), a US Delaware Corporation that is building the world’s first space qualified small GEO satellite platform named Nationsat.
Built entirely in the USA with heritage-based payload and bus components, Nationsat features an innovative, full-digital payload and 2.5 kW BUS design that enables complete frequency agility and bandwidth channelization for its users, demanding wide-beam C and Ku-band capacity as well as a HTS version that provides over 80 Gbps. Saturn is led by one of the most senior and experienced team of satellite engineers; who have amongst the top three members of the executive team, boasts over 100 years of experience, and have manufactured over 60 GEO satellites at Boeing, Hughes, Lockheed Martin and Intelsat. The Nationsat satellites are designed to be low cost and highly flexible, enabling users to save over 70 to 80% off of current market pricing for bent pipe GEO satellites, and its HTS models will cost less than $1M per Gbps delivered in orbit.
Tom Choi, the Executive Chairman of AirspaceIX and Saturn remarked “we’re extremely proud to announce Saturn’s Nationsat project. We have been quietly working on this since the end of 2017, to deliver the most advanced, flexible and cost optimized, GEO satellite platform in the world. Over 95% of satellite capacity users in the world use their satellites for domestic applications and for the first time ever, we have a satellite that has been designed and optimized for these end users and nations. We hope to serve as a vital cog in the global effort to bring affordable, satellite connectivity to the emerging markets of the world and to over 150 nations that have not been able to afford satellites in the past. This will change with the introduction to the market of Nationsat, by Saturn”. Vern Smith the Managing Director of Saturn said “Saturn is making history with the most affordable and innovative GEO satellite solutions. We have already executed an early development contract with our first customer, valued over US$10M and very recently passed a rigorous Preliminary Design Review (PDR) on our path to delivering the Nationsat systems in 2020. “.
Jim Simpson, the CEO of Saturn states “it has been very rewarding and an honour, teaming up with Tom and leading this incredibly talented and innovative Saturn team as its Chief Executive Officer. Our unique satellite system and service enables Nations that previously could not afford their own satellite systems, the ability to take advantage of the economics of ownership at a fraction of the cost of a traditional satellite system. Our ability to use a very small satellite platform, that efficiently utilize power, and takes advantage of the theory of the microcosm, with digital payloads, provides a revolutionary approach to delivering in- orbit reconfigurable broadband capacity."