€73 Million From ESA Member States Towards HummingSat – SWISSto12’s Next-Gen Affordable, Compact Satellite, to Meet Growing Demand for Commercial and Sovereign Communications

• Funding was committed by the European Space Agency (ESA) member states towards the HummingSat partnership project at the ESA Council at Ministerial Level in November 2025, supporting SWISSto12 in its development and industrialization of HummingSat.
• In addition to the above, SWISSto12 also secured funding from European private investors in H2 2025, bringing the total amount of funding secured to > €100 million. These two events signal strong institutional and private investor confidence in the company’s commercial potential and operational readiness.
• HummingSat delivers flexible cost-efficient and sovereign capacity to customers, with a first launch for SES scheduled in 2027, followed by Viasat thereafter.

RENENS, Switzerland–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#ESA—SWISSto12, one of the world’s fastest-growing aerospace companies and leading manufacturer of advanced satellite systems and radio frequency (RF) products, has announced securing €73 million ($84.8 million) in financial support from ESA member states through the HummingSat ARTES partnership project.

The funding will accelerate SWISSto12’s development and industrialization of HummingSat, as well as scaling up its manufacturing capacity and accelerating new product innovations. These initiatives address increasing global demand for cost-effective, agile and sovereign communications in both government and commercial sectors.

The investment will also allow SWISSto12 to further develop its phased-array antenna technologies to be used onboard LEO/MEO/GEO satellite payloads and ground products such as user terminals. This will strengthen its ability to serve a broad set of customer needs, for communications from and to geostationary and non-geostationary orbits.

The additional ESA funding, through the Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) HummingSat Partnership Project, within ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications, was backed at the 2025 Ministerial Conference by pledges from Member States Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Norway – and Associate Member Canada.

SWISSto12 is enabling a transformational shift in the global satellite communications industry, away from legacy, large, purpose-built, expensive and slow-to-deploy solutions towards smaller, faster, cheaper assets that leverage software-defined, reconfigurable payload architectures and agile, multi-orbit capabilities. The global need for SatCom is rising, reflecting a growing demand for always-on broadband internet connectivity for aircraft and ships, secure communications for sovereign governments, internet in remote regions, safety-relevant services, IoT devices and location-based services.

Developed in partnership with ESA and scheduled for first launch in 2027, the HummingSat platform is significantly smaller and more cost-efficient than legacy geostationary satellites, giving customers a flexible, cost-effective platform to expand transponder capacity, enable network flexibility and reconfigurable software-defined payloads, deploy sovereign capabilities and introduce new services with agility.

Laurent Jaffart, ESA Director of Connectivity and Secure Communications, said, “We are proud to continue our support of SWISSto12, particularly in creating cost-effective solutions for satellite systems that answer to the satcom ecosystem’s ever-increasing demands. ESA is committed to elevating Europe’s future in space through our support of industry, and by accelerating next-generation satellite technologies.”

Emile de Rijk, CEO and Founder of SWISSto12 said, “The recent subscriptions of Member States and Cooperating States at the ESA Ministerial Council to the HummingSat Project, and the latest round of funding from European private investors sends a strong message to the global market that SWISSto12 is at the heart of satellite communications innovation. With our growing suite of agile, cost-effective and highly performant SatCom solutions, we provide a credible answer to some of the most pressing challenges facing the space economy, including the critical issue of enabling satellite sovereignty – something, until now, out of reach for most of the world’s nations.”

Editors’ Notes

About SWISSto12: https://www.swissto12.com

SWISSto12 is a leading manufacturer of advanced satellite Radio Frequency components, 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 programme. The company’s RF components 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.

SWISSto12 has developed commercially with success in Europe and in the USA and is amongst the fastest growing aerospace companies in the world. The company is privately owned and backed by prominent Swiss and European Investors.

About ESA’s ARTES Partnership Projects programme

The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space, coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its Member States to conduct space programmes and activities. The Partnership Projects programme line of ESA’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) drives innovation by federating ambitious large-scale, long-term collaborations between ESA, private companies, and satellite operators. The programme establishes ESA as a key partner in developing major satellite communication systems, new value-adding solutions and services, and providing in-orbit validation. It focuses on substantial, industry-shaping initiatives that require significant investment spanning over several years.

By closely aligning technological ambition with commercial strategy, ARTES Partnership Projects enable European and Canadian organisations to push the boundaries of satellite communications and strengthen their competitiveness on the global market.

Learn more at https://connectivity.esa.int/artes-4-0-programme-overview/industrial-competitiveness/partnership-projects

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