Space Commerce

Terran Orbital Wins $2.4 Billion Contract to Build 300 Satellites for Rivada Space Networks

By Keith Cowing
Press Release
Terran Orbital
February 22, 2023
Filed under , ,
Terran Orbital Wins $2.4 Billion Contract to Build 300 Satellites for Rivada Space Networks
Terran Orbital
Terran Orbital

Terran Orbital Corporation (NYSE: LLAP), (“Terran Orbital” or “the Company”), a global leader in satellite-based solutions, today announced its wholly-owned subsidiary, Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, Inc. (“Tyvak”), has been awarded a $2.4 billion contract to design, build, and deploy 288 low-earth orbit satellites for Rivada Space Networks. As part of the contract, Terran Orbital will also develop 12 “spare” satellites to produce a total of 300 spacecraft.

Rivada Space Networks is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rivada Networks, Inc., a U.S.-based wireless technology company focused on open-access wholesale and the convergence of terrestrial and satellite communications. Founded by Declan Ganley, Rivada is active across North and South America as well as Europe. Rivada holds a multitude of patents relating to spectrum sharing, digital spectrum arbitrage, prioritized messaging, open access services, and other wireless communications technologies.

Terran Orbital, through its subsidiaries, is an innovative mass producer of small satellites for leading operators and major industry participants and is a preferred supplier for customers across the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia.

Terran Orbital, through its subsidiary Tyvak, will act as the prime contractor to design and manufacture the approximately 500 kg satellites, integrate the communication payload, and perform the final satellite assembly, integration, and test. We will also be responsible for developing portions of the ground segment. Mission operations for the on-orbit satellites will be conducted from a state-of-the-art satellite operations control center. Rivada expects to begin deploying its constellation as early as 2025, subject to compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, with the anticipated launch of four of our satellites.

“Terran Orbital is thrilled to form this new partnership with Rivada Space Networks,” said Marc Bell, Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Terran Orbital. “Our partnership will show why Terran Orbital continues to be a satellite manufacturer of choice for aerospace and defense companies worldwide. We are ecstatic to work alongside Rivada and look forward to building out their LEO constellation.”

“We at Rivada see Terran Orbital as a kindred spirit of sorts. We are delighted to have the opportunity to bring this project to fruition with them,” said Declan Ganley, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Rivada Networks.

About Terran Orbital

Terran Orbital is a leading manufacturer of satellite products primarily serving the aerospace and defense industries. Terran Orbital provides end-to-end satellite solutions by combining satellite design, production, launch planning, mission operations, and on-orbit support to meet the needs of the most demanding military, civil, and commercial customers. Learn more at www.terranorbital.com.

Marlink to Drive Digital Transformation Across French Guiana Leveraging SES’s Multi-Orbit Satellite Network

In support of intensifying government initiatives to close the connectivity gap for more than 7,500 households across urban and rural population centres in French Guiana, Marlink has been awarded a Public Service Delegation contract to set up broadband Internet and 4G/5G services via satellite networks covering the entire French region. SES and Marlink today announced they have signed a 15-year agreement leveraging SES’s multi-orbit geostationary (GEO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellite network to deliver life-changing, high-speed services to more than 30,000 users throughout the overseas territory of France.

Funded in part by the European Union, the French Government and the Collectivité Territoriale de Guyane (CTG), Marlink and SES will deliver high performance internet access of 30 Mbps across the country. The companies will build and manage local gateway infrastructure to enable the delivery of nearly 3.5 gigabits per second of high-powered satellite capacity for access to consumer broadband, fixed and mobile services in French Guiana. This will also allow schools and institutions located in the region to benefit from better speeds and lower latency to ultimately bridge the digital divide. The services will be split roughly evenly between the recently launched SES-17 high throughput satellite stationed over the Americas and the next-generation O3b mPOWER system.

“We are proud to bridge the digital divide and be part of this nationwide digital transformation to support economic and social growth by connecting critical services and remote communities, as well as educational institutions for the next 15 years,” said Alexandre de Luca, President, Energy, Enterprise and Government at Marlink. “Our provision of digital services has grown with customer demand, and we are again responding with agility and flexibility to deliver connectivity as a service.”

“The digital divide is a challenging reality, especially for small remote villages in places like the Amazonian Forest in French Guiana, and we are partnering with Marlink to enable digital inclusion in some of the most isolated communities in the world,” said Simon Gatty Saunt, Vice President of Networks Sales, Europe at SES. “SES is honoured to play a role in bringing the most advanced and empowering broadband connectivity to the towns, villages, businesses and people throughout the region, which will unlock the full potential of French Guiana.”

SES-17 is SES’s most high-performance GEO satellite and has played a key role in accelerating digital inclusion programmes across the region and improving access to affordable and high-quality satellite-enabled broadband services for business and residential applications. O3b mPOWER is SES’s second-generation MEO communications system and delivers unrivalled performance, enabling customers’ operations with high throughput, predictable low latency, and high availability.

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About SES

SES has a bold vision to deliver amazing experiences everywhere on earth by distributing the highest quality video content and providing seamless connectivity around the world. As the leader in global content connectivity solutions, SES operates the world’s only multi-orbit constellation of satellites with the unique combination of global coverage and high performance, including the commercially-proven, low-latency Medium Earth Orbit O3b system. By leveraging a vast and intelligent, cloud-enabled network, SES is able to deliver high-quality connectivity solutions anywhere on land, at sea or in the air, and is a trusted partner to the world’s leading telecommunications companies, mobile network operators, governments, connectivity and cloud service providers, broadcasters, video platform operators and content owners. SES’s video network carries ~8,000 channels and has an unparalleled reach of 366 million households, delivering managed media services for both linear and non-linear content. The company is listed on Paris and Luxembourg stock exchanges (Ticker: SESG). Further information is available at: www.ses.com.

About Marlink

Marlink is the trusted partner in fully managed smart network solutions, based on an intelligent hybrid network and unrivalled digital solutions. The company provides Smart Network Solutions, connecting people and assets around the globe and across all markets where conventional connectivity cannot reach or is not available. Marlink’s Intelligent Hybrid Network combines global satcom and terrestrial technologies via a proprietary global infrastructure. The Marlink Smart Edge, an integrated service delivery platform, orchestrates and optimises all network elements and applications, from data handling and IT to application-based routing (SD Wan), cloud and Digital Solutions, including remote data and IT, cyber security as well as IoT/OT solutions. This provides customers with full ‘Peace of Mind’ that their chosen network solution is fully optimised, integrated and has the security required to operate more profitably and sustainably, increasing their efficiency and safety through operational optimisation, tracking and routing, monitoring and reporting. Marlink’s Smart Network Solutions are provided as Managed Services meeting the highest quality standards and service level agreements. The company proactively monitors and supports network solutions, providing alerts, reporting and insights on performance and usage of connectivity, systems, and applications as well as advice and consultancy on how to further optimise customer networks.

www.marlink.com

Contacts
Suzanne Ong
External Communications
+352 710 725 500
suzanne.ong@ses.com

SpaceRef co-founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.