Saturn Satellite Networks Inc. (Saturn), a US Delaware Corporation that is building the world’s first space qualified small digital GEO satellite platform named Nationsat has signed a definitive agreement to acquire NovaWurks Inc, a California based corporation that is the developer of the Hyper Integrated Satlet (HISat), a GEO qualified satellite platform that is modular and scalable to any payload mission in any orbit or power requirements. The transaction is due to take place over a course of three years for an undisclosed amount of cash and stocks. Upon the final closing, NovaWurks will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Saturn and its shareholders will become minority shareholders of Saturn. NovaWurks HISat will serve as the basis of the platform for Saturn’s Nationsat program which will be built entirely in the USA and features fully digital payloads for both wide beam and HTS applications. Saturn Satellite Networks is a unit of Airspace Internet Exchange Inc. a US Delaware corporation which was founded by Mr. Tom Choi, a US Citizen and its majority shareholder. Mr. Choi, is an inductee to the Satellite Hall of Fame in 2017 and winner of Via Satellite’s Satellite Executive of the Year Award in 2012. Mr Choi is also the founder of Speedcast and ABS Global.
Since its inception in 2011, NovaWurks founded by Mr. Talbot Jaeger has designed and developed the HISat for multiple missions including the NASA SIMPL, DARPA eXCITE, and PODSAT programs. HISats are identical six-kilogram modules that contain the basic functions a satellite needs, including communications, reaction wheels, power management, star and earth sensors, satellite command processing modules and propulsion subsystems. Any number of HISats, which measure 20 by 20 by 10 centimeters in dimensions can be snapped together like LegosTM, to their payloads on Earth or in orbit to create a bus which becomes infinitely scalable while at the same time providing enormous redundancy. Software determines the role each HISat should play and if one HISat subsystem begins to fail, for example, the same subsystem on other HISats will take over its role providing a level of redundancy never seen before for satellite systems.
Tom Choi, the Executive Chairman of AirspaceIX and Saturn remarked “The M&A transaction with NovaWurks accelerates the Nationsat program of Saturn where our goals are to deliver the most advanced, flexible and cost optimized, small GEO satellite platform in the world. Instead of building a brand new and untested platform, we will use the reliable and proven HISat system to accelerate the development of the Nationsat GEO system and other MEO and LEO constellation plans being developed at Saturn Satellite Networks. I am extremely thankful for Talbot Jaeger for agreeing to the M&A with Saturn. Our limitless ambitions are merged with his unmatched technical genius and we aim to change and better the world by making affordable space communications services a reality.”
Talbot Jaeger, the Founder and Chief Technical Architect at NovaWurks states “Saturn’s vision and fresh look at the Space industry is very akin to the NovaWurks culture we have developed over the past several years. The resources and energizing passion that Tom [Choi] and the entire Saturn team bring to NovaWurks is very synergistic to our team and advancing ‘New Space’ and the innovations that NovaWurks is known for. With our goals well aligned, I look forward to better tackling the challenges of our nation and the world.”
Jim Simpson, the CEO of Saturn states “the acquisition of NovaWurks enables Saturn to be more vertically integrated as a system integrator and provides access to innovative technology and an extraordinary team of creative engineers and designers to provide the breakthroughs in cost and performance previously not achieved in conventional satellite design and manufacturing. We are extremely excited to add NovaWurks culture of innovation to Saturn as we change how Space has been traditionally utilized.”