Rivada Space Networks, a German company aiming to launch a new low earth orbit (LEO) Ka-band connectivity network targeting government and enterprise customers in a variety of sectors, including maritime, has issued a request for proposals for the construction of 600 satellites to begin deployment in 2024.
The company says it anticipates selecting a prime contractor for the space segment of the network, parts of the ground segment and system integration for the LEO constellation by the end of 2022, in parallel to the selection of a launch service provider.
Rivada Space Networks plans to offer pole-to-pole connectivity coverage using lasers to interconnect its satellites, meaning that its service should be able to provide communications for deep sea vessels at any point on the planet once the network is completed.
The company was formally launched in March 2022, since which time it has been working to complete a detailed definition of the overall system architecture and provide the production and deployment framework needed to place a contract for the constellation and associated launch services.
Based on its schedule of getting a deal in place for manufacturing and launches by the end of this year, Rivada says that it expects deployment to start in 2024, with 300 satellites in orbit by mid-2026 and the full constellation in place by mid-2028.
“I am incredibly proud of what our team has achieved in such a short time frame. Over the course of the past eight months, we have completed the design of our satellite system and grown our teams in Munich and Berlin to further develop the technical, commercial and regulatory competencies of the company,” said Severin Meister, Rivada Space Networks CEO.
“With over 60 people today, we anticipate expanding further to over 100 people by the end of Q1 2023 and are on track to execute our vision of providing the first truly global point-to-point low latency connectivity network.”
