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ARQUIMEA takes an equity stake in NSLComm with a $15 million investment

Space
May 12, 2022
  • This operation is part of ARQUIMEA’s international expansion plans, which were the basis for the company’s first bond issuance last December.
  • NSLComm, an Israeli space technology company, has developed a deployable antenna suitable for satellite-to-ground and intersatellite communication links.
  • ARQUIMEA and NSLComm partnered last December to promote BeetleSat, a constellation of LEO communication satellites.

ARQUIMEA has announced a $15 million investment in the Israeli space technology company NSLComm. This investment is part of the Spanish technology company’s international expansion plans, which were the basis for ARQUIMEA’s first bond issuance last December.

With this investment, ARQUIMEA also contributes with its more than 15 years of experience in the development, engineering and production of space grade components and systems.

NSLComm is an Israeli space technology company that has developed a deployable antenna based on shape memory polymers, which offers many advantages for use in satellite-to-ground and intersatellite communication links. This technology provides a great competitive advantage in the emerging satellite constellation market. The funds provided by ARQUIMEA will allow both companies to develop an innovative telecommunications constellation based on this technology, called BeetleSat.

 

BeetleSat, the next generation LEO constellation.

Last December, ARQUIMEA and NSLComm announced their partnership to develop BeetleSat, the next generation LEO (Low Earth Orbit) constellation. BeetleSat is a constellation of 250 communication satellites scheduled for deployment by 2025 that will provide global connectivity for high-throughput, low-latency applications.

The innovative expandable antenna developed by NSLComm delivers high bandwidth, up to 1 Tbps across the constellation, using satellites of smaller size and mass than with traditional rigid antennas or optical communications links. This reduces the overall cost of constellation deployment.

ARQUIMEA and NSLComm will engage in various development, industrialisation and de-risking activities over the next two years, including the manufacturing of the first two satellites of the constellation. Also, an experiment on the International Space Station carried out by NSLComm took place in April 2022, and the launch of a satellite in October 2022 is planned with one of NSLComm’s antennas on board.