US-based SpinLaunch has awarded a €122.5 million contract to Kongsberg NanoAvionics to build the first 282 satellites for the company’s Meridian Space communications constellation.
Meridian Space is a planned low Earth orbit (LEO) communications constellation developed by SpinLaunch to deliver global high-speed broadband services to enterprise customers. According to SpinLaunch, the Meridian Space satellites will feature a flat-pack form factor, allowing up to 250 units to be deployed in a single “traditional rocket launch.”
NanoAvionics announced on 2 April that it had been awarded a contract to build 282 satellites for the SpinLaunch Meridian Space constellation. The deal includes two in-orbit demonstrators and the serial production of the first 280 satellites in a constellation expected to grow to at least 1,190 spacecraft. The first demonstrator is scheduled to be launched in 2026 and will use NanoAvionics’ standard MP42 microsatellite bus to validate the SpinLaunch Meridian communications payload.
“After an extensive industry evaluation, we selected NanoAvionics for their demonstrated flight heritage and high-performance satellites,” said SpinLaunch CEO David Wrenn. “NanoAvionics’ modular smallsat systems give us a reliable foundation to scale our constellation quickly and confidently.”
To ramp up manufacturing and fulfill its commitment to SpinLaunch, NanoAvionics plans to expand its assembly and testing facilities at its headquarters in Lithuania.
In addition to announcing that NanoAvionics had secured the contract to build the first batch of satellites for the constellation, SpinLaunch revealed on 3 April that NanoAvionics’ parent company, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, had committed a $12 million strategic investment in the LEO communications initiative.
“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,” said Eirik Lie, President of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. “Kongsberg’s decision to partner with SpinLaunch reflects our belief in their innovative approach to satellite communications.”
According to a SpinLaunch press release, the $12 million investment will support the “development and commercialization” of the Meridian Space constellation.
