Updated Sept. 12 at 7:28 a.m. CEST
PARIS — GapSat, a company that resells underused satellite capacity, is entering the market with a satellite of its own through the Lockheed Martin-backed Terran Orbital.
GapSat-1 is a small, all-electric geostationary satellite that looks nothing like the traditional communications satellite manufacturers typically build.
GapSat announced the satellite Sept. 12, saying the satellite will beam capacity in C-, Ku-, and Ka-band, along with the so-far experimental Q- and V-bands.
“We have been working on developing our own satellites for several years and it is terrific to have finally found a credible partner to execute on a technical solution that meets our business objectives,” GapSat CEO Gregg Daffner said in a statement. “Terran Orbital showed a unique business approach defining a highly flexible, reconfigurable satellite at a cost that closes our business case and will provide our customers with the tailored capacity they need.”
GapSat-1 will launch in the third quarter of 2020 directly into the geostationary arc 36,000 kilometers above the Earth, according to the company.
GapSat did not announce a launch provider for the mission. Company officials could not be reached immediately for comment.
GapSat didn’t state the mass of GapSat-1, but Lockheed Martin participated in Terran Orbital‘s $36 million Series B last month to support its LM50 smallsat line, which ranges from 10 to 100 kilograms.
GapSat said the small size and low cost of GapSat-1 will enable the company to fill up all its capacity with customers quickly, rather than have idle capacity — an undesired situation the company is used to solving for others.
Original published at: https://spacenews.com/gapsat-places-geo-smallsat-order-with-terran-orbital/