IAC, Washington, D.C,22 October 2019 – Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT), one of world’s largest ground station services provider has partnered with Rocket Lab and will be the exclusive provider of ground station services for their Electron launcher and Photon satellite bus customers. This partnership will let Rocket Lab deliver a 360-degree solution to small sat operators, including satellite manufacture, launch and ground segment support. Photon customers will be able to use the uplink and downlink capabilities in different frequency bands such as UHF, S-band, X-band and Ka-band using the KSATlite ground network.
KSAT will be using its revolutionary KSATlite ground network design for small satellite systems and big constellations. The Lite-concept is a small-aperture, low-cost global ground network where the standardized and scalable services, are catered to the specific needs of the fast growing NewSpace- and SmallSat industry.
Our partnership with Rocket Lab and its Photon customers means small satellite operators will now have access to reliable, scalable services across our global network
Rocket Lab is the only commercial launch service provider dedicated to small sat launch vehicles and has proved itself to be a global leader in providing dedicated launch services to small satellites. Rocket Lab has successfully launched 9 Electron missions and a total of 40 satellites launched into orbit. With a recent announcement on the Photon satellite bus platform streamlines an end-to-end solutions for satellite customers.
In a press release, head of KSAT USA, Katherine Monson, said, “We are witnessing an enormous rise in demand for data from small satellites in space, yet the challenges of procuring launch, building your own spacecraft and then having to coordinate ground communications can be time and cost prohibitive. Our partnership with Rocket Lab and its Photon customers means small satellite operators will now have access to reliable, scalable services across our global network – starting with support on a per-pass basis and options to move to full antennas as their communication demand grows. KSAT is proud to be the bridge back to Earth for both the Electron launch vehicle and Photon customer payloads. Together we are hoping to make space more accessible, through cost-efficient access and proven mission assurance.”
Rocket Lab CEO and founder, Peter Beck, said, “Rocket Lab’s partnership with KSAT will play an important role in continuing to streamline the path to orbit for small satellite operators. We solved the launch challenge when Rocket Lab began regular and reliable launch services in January 2018. Now we’re simplifying the spacecraft side of the equation with the combination of Photon and KSAT’s ground network support.”
