The new Meridian Space constellation is designed to provide global broadband coverage, using just one rocket launch to deploy 250 microsatellites.
The strategic investment will see Kongsberg’s NanoAvionics business act as the exclusive satellite supplier for the initial wave of Meridian satellites, with an in-orbit demonstration mission set for 2026.
Eirik Lie, President of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, said: “The Meridian Space solution, supported by Kongsberg, will offer significantly higher broadband capacity in a satellite constellation compared with what is available on the market today.
Each of SpinLaunch’s Meridian microsatellites weighs just 70kg. The company claims the lightweight units can support “terabits-per-second capacity” following a single rocket launch.
Working alongside Kongsberg, SpinLaunch looks to offer an affordable space-based connectivity solution with fewer launches and faster deployment timelines.
“The value and scale of the contract is a fantastic demonstration of our capabilities to build satellite constellations and bring them to orbit fast, allowing customers to generate revenue quickly,” said Atle Wøllo, CEO of NanoAvionics.
SpinLaunch was founded in 2014 to disrupt traditional methods for getting payloads into space.
In a bid to reduce the huge carbon emissions emitted from rocket launches, SpinLaunch is attempting to develop a kinetic energy space launch system that uses centrifugal force to essentially slingshot rockets into LEO to deploy satellites.
“SpinLaunch was founded on a bold commitment to deliver a more sustainable, cost-effective approach to launching satellite constellations – a vision that logically involved considering our own global network from the outset,” said David Wrenn, CEO of SpinLaunch.
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