SWISSto12 raises $70 million Series C to expand satellite production

SWISSto12 has raised $70 million in Series C funding to expand manufacturing and integration capacity for its satellite platforms and payloads. The Swiss aerospace company is trying to turn demand for multi-orbit communications infrastructure into production volume, though it did not disclose its valuation or the investors in the round.

The financing comes after European Space Agency member states awarded $84.8 million to the HummingSat ARTES partnership project. Through that program, ESA is backing development and in-orbit validation of SWISSto12’s HummingSat geostationary satellite platform.

Founded in 2011, SWISSto12 builds satellite payloads, antennas and communications systems using patented manufacturing processes, including 3D printing. Its two named product lines cover different orbital regimes: HummingSat for geostationary orbit and HummingLink for low Earth orbit and other multi-orbit payload and antenna applications.

Capacity, not a new category

The company said the new capital will go toward increasing production capacity for both HummingSat and HummingLink as it supports a larger pipeline of commercial and government programs. That makes the Series C a scale-up round rather than a pivot: SWISSto12 is not introducing a new market thesis, but funding the factory and integration work needed to deliver against existing demand.

SWISSto12 has secured seven HummingSat contracts with global satellite operators, including SES and Viasat, according to the company. It has also expanded HummingLink into low Earth orbit constellation programs and missions in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. More than 2,000 HummingLink solutions are currently deployed in orbit, the company said.

CEO and founder Emile de Rijk said SWISSto12’s products are being used in missions including direct-to-device connectivity, media broadcasting, intersatellite data relays and sovereign communications infrastructure. Those use cases span multiple orbits, which fits the company’s positioning across GEO and LEO systems.

The round also reflects a broader procurement reality in space infrastructure: government-backed validation and commercial operator contracts can reinforce each other, especially in communications systems where reliability, launch schedules and manufacturing throughput matter as much as claimed technical differentiation. ESA’s backing for HummingSat gives SWISSto12 public-sector support for a geostationary platform, while contracts with operators such as SES and Viasat suggest commercial pull.

Several key financing details remain undisclosed, including the Series C valuation, revenue, current headcount and the names of participating investors. Without those figures, it is hard to assess how aggressively the company is being priced relative to its contract base. The disclosed use of proceeds is narrower and more concrete: build more satellite hardware and expand the capacity to integrate it for customers already buying across commercial and government programs.

This story draws on original reporting from Tech.eu.