Innovative satellite tech company invests in the UK space sector
Rapid growth of SatixFy’s UK operations means more than half SatixFy worldwide employees are now based in Farnborough and Manchester.
Credit: NASA/ESA and Andre Kuipers.
SatixFy, the satellite communication technology company, has gone from strength to strength since setting up UK operations in August 2016, after being established in Hong Kong, with its first design centre in Israel, in 2012.
With the support of the UK Space Agency, Innovate UK and the Department for International Trade, the company now has 77 full-time employees in Farnborough and Manchester – out of 150 worldwide – and attracted a further $20 million of investment.
Having developed its innovative technology, SatixFy UK is now selling its products. Just 18 months after being established, the company’s customers already include some of the world’s largest satellite operators and satellite manufacturers.
The company received funding to develop revolutionary flat antennas which could have applications in the Internet of Things market, connecting vehicles to the internet, as well as for user terminals for the upcoming Low Earth orbiting (LEO) constellations. The company’s new development centre in Manchester designs space-hardened silicon chips for satellite payloads with a first chip for on-board-processing.
Graham Stuart, Minister for Investment at the Department for International Trade, the UK government’s international economic department, said:
We are delighted with the success that SatixFy have enjoyed since opening their UK operations. They are a ringing endorsement for the compelling offer the UK presents to innovative, ambitious companies seeking to grow and compete successfully in the booming global space market.
Dr Graham Turnock, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, said:
SatixFy UK is an excellent example of how working together we can bring investment to the UK, attract new engineers to work in the space sector and support innovative space companies to become really successful here, whilst driving significant export opportunity.
The UK Government’s Industrial Strategy sets out a clear vision for the UK to become the world’s most innovative nation and we are working with industry to capture 10% of the global space market by 2030.
SatixFy UK has received a commitment for funding of more than €30 million, for several programmes, from the European Space Agency’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Satellites (ARTES) programme, which transforms research into successful commercial projects. The UK is the largest funder of the programme which is designed to support industry by funding the demonstration of advanced technologies, systems, services and applications in a representative space environment.
Craig Brown, Innovation Lead for Space at Innovate UK and the UK’s Delegate to the ESA ARTES Satcom programme, said:
SatixFy’s story is an excellent example of how Innovate UK, the UK Space Agency and the Department for International Trade use the support tools at our disposal to attract companies to set up and grow in the UK. The UK offer goes well beyond our ability to co-invest in projects; we work hard to ensure that the whole value chain is well connected, is collaborating and is co-innovating.
I look forward to seeing the fruits of SatixFy’s early success and would also encourage any other technology companies wishing to establish and grow in the UK to get in touch.
SatixFy UK is investing €15 million in its UK centres and other UK contractors including Cadence and TVS.
Likewise, SatixFy UK has formed a new joint venture with Singapore Technologies Engineering (STE), which will see STE invest $20 million to develop and sell commercial Aero antennas for the In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) market while ownership of the technology remains in the UK.
Yoel Gat, CEO of the SatixFy Group said:
Becoming an integral part of the UK space industry, with the support of the UK authorities, has been one of the most successful business decisions SatixFy has taken. The level of support and goodwill we have received from the UK government was very important for us. Within a short period of 18 months, we have been able to establish two successful design centres and design our first chips.
Within 2 years from our starting point, we will already be selling our products. We plan to continue to grow our UK infrastructure and use it as a base for our future electronically steered antennas and satellite payloads product lines.