Switzerland-based emerging space company AOneSat has ordered a satellite from Russia’s ISS-Reshetnev to cover the fast-growing Latin American region in 2016.
It will be the first of a planned three-satellite constellation for AOneSat, a Swiss/Indian…
Switzerland-based emerging space company AOneSat has ordered a satellite from Russia’s ISS-Reshetnev to cover the fast-growing Latin American region in 2016.
It will be the first of a planned three-satellite constellation for AOneSat, a Swiss/Indian partnership that was founded in 2009 and is supported by private equity firm Ananth Technologies.
Ultimately, the company plans to provide telecoms and DTH services across parts of South and North America, Europe, Africa, Middle East, South Asia.
The AOneSat-1 satellite will be based on the Express-1000H platform, and the first deputy head of the Russian Federal Space Agency joined representatives from the two companies for their contract signing ceremony.
Gregor Gaemperle, AOneSat’s customer coordinator, told SatelliteFinance that the new satellite will receive export credit agency support as “ECA is an important part of the debt structure”.
To that end, he said the company was talking to ECAs in different countries while negotiating with three manufacturers to build out the rest of its fleet.
Gaemperle declined to discuss how it obtained its orbital positions, except to say the one covering Latin America is a “well-coordinated slot with appropriate rights”.
He said that, as well as backing from Ananth Technologies, the company is supported by non-government funds in Switzerland and India. Details of its shareholder structure will be disclosed to markets later this year.