Foxconn awards Exolaunch with contract to deploy the group's first satellites

Foxconn awards Exolaunch with contract to deploy the group's first satellites
by Staff Writers
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Nov 07, 2023
Exolaunch has signed a launch services agreement (LSA) with Hon Hai Technology Group ("Foxconn") to provide mission management, integration services orbital deployment hardware and services for Foxconn's first ever satellites.

Exolaunch is a global provider of launch mission management and deployment services for small satellites, having deployed over 320 satellites into orbit using its proprietary separation technologies on the most frequent and reliable launch vehicles on the market.

As with past integrations and deployments for A-list constellation providers like Spire Global, ICEYE and Kongsberg NanoAvionics, Exolaunch will play an integral role in Foxconn's long-term success in space.

The satellites, named PEARL-1H and PEARL-1C, are scheduled to launch on SpaceX's Falcon 9 via Exolaunch during the Transporter-9 mission from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California no earlier than November 2023. Along with end-to-end mission management, integration and deployment services, Exolaunch is providing Foxconn with its record-setting EXOpod Nova deployer.

"This latest LSA with Foxconn comes at a watershed moment for Exolaunch, as we are broadening our team and capabilities within the launch service industry globally," said Jeanne Allarie, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Exolaunch.

"Exolaunch has worked directly with customers over the last ten years listening closely to the needs of cutting-edge satellite industry players. Supporting a company as widely known and depended on as Foxconn is an honor and culmination of this hard work."

"This is a pilot run as proof of the concept for our efforts in LEO satellite broadband communications and next-gen, beyond 5G (B5G) capabilities. It is also a great example of collaboration between academia and industry. Exolaunch plays a crucial role in getting our mission to space," said Dr Jen-Ming Wu, Director of the Next-generation Communications Research Center at Hon Hai Research Institute.

"In the B5G and new space era, the launch of LEO satellites will become ever more cost-competitive and convenient. Foxconn's first PEARL is meant to show we will be ready to meet the increase in demand for key components, sub-system, and assembly integration test, driving higher circulation and innovation in the new space industry," said Jesse Chao Sr. Director, B5G Policy, Corporate Policy at Foxconn.