NSLComm’s NSLSat-1 To Be Launched into Space Becoming First Nano-Satellite to Provide Global High-Throughput Connectivity Capabilities

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NSLSat-1 to be tested by several tier-one customers from across automotive, telecom and travel industries; Company’s founders and executives include satellite and communications veterans as well as space engineers, with more than five decades of combined experience

July 3, 2019 – Tel Aviv, Israel – NSLComm, a space-tech startup that has developed an “expandable” nano-satellite solution to meet the growing global demand for increased connectivity, announced today that its first satellite, NSLSat-1, is “go-for-launch,” and has been successfully installed on the payload of the Soyuz launch vehicle that will take it into space.

The launch is set for 1:42 AM ET on July 5 at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Far-Eastern Russia.
The company, which is part of the exciting and fast growing “NewSpace” industry that is pioneering privately-backed spaceflight, has designed fabric-like, flexible dish antennas that expand in space to offer high-throughput communications for small satellites that is up to 100 times faster than that of today’s best performing nano-satellites, while also offering substantial cost savings (around 10 times) for larger satellites. The technology permits antennas to be stowed during launch in a compact volume and deploy while in orbit, saving mass, volume, and supporting structures. Postdeployment, the antenna has an innovative “smart” subreflector, the FlexoSub, enabling the antenna to compensate for any reflector shape imperfections and change ground patterns while on the fly.

Additionally, NSLComm’s technology is the only solution that can bring high-speed broadband connectivity to and from small terminals, allowing for a full array of applications around IoT and sensors, in areas such as agriculture, mining, oil & gas, shipping, government and more. The technology can also support large pipes of data for internet and video at costs that are significantly lower than current satellite communication technology offers.

“The launch of NSLSat-1 is a significant achievement for our company and what we believe to be a watershed moment for the entire satellite industry,” said Raz Itzhaki, Co-Founder and CEO of NSLComm. “Our technology represents one of the biggest leaps in satellite antenna performance-to-weight ratios and, with this launch, we are on a mission to prove that high-speed satellite communications can be done faster, cheaper and more effectively than it has been to date.”

The company is initially targeting the government, IoT and high-throughput and trunking markets, worth an estimated $50 billion annually. Once in space, NSLSat-1 will be tested with a number of tier-one partners from across the automotive, telecom and travel industries. Several weeks ago, NSLComm signed an agreement with Amazon Web Services for the use of AWS Ground Station, a network of ground stations for satellites.

“JVP is proud to support groundbreaking entrepreneurs and to position the Israeli technology ecosystem as world class actors with disruptive offerings,” said Yoav Tzruya, General Partner at JVP. “NSLComm is changing the satellite communication market in a meaningful manner, providing two to three orders of magnitude improvement in cost per bandwidth, and unlocking a myriad number of new applications for several multi-billion dollar markets.”

“The Israel Space Agency at the Ministry of Science & Technology supports innovative startup companies with cutting edge technology in order to increase their competitive capacity and to expand the Israel space ecosystem,” said Avi Blasberger, Director of the Israel Space Agency.

NSLComm, in cooperation with its partners, expects to launch 30 satellites by 2021 and hundreds by 2023, enabling its network of nano-satellites to provide a high-speed worldwide communications for its customers network via an orbiting constellation.

“Space is indeed the new frontier for venture capital and NSLComm is leading the way towards nano-satellites that are smarter, more agile and more powerful than ever before,” said Jon Medved, CEO of OurCrowd. “This company will link communities around the world in previously unconnected locations with high speed connectivity and things will never be the same again.”

NSLComm’s investors include Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP), OurCrowd, Cockpit Innovation and Liberty Technology Venture Capital. The company is also supported by the Israel Space Agency and Kodem Growth Partners in New York City.

“Kodem Growth Partners is proud to be partnering with NSLComm and working with the Company to support its expansion into the U.S. and European markets, where we see highly compelling opportunities for the Company,” said Avi Lindenbaum, founder of Kodem Growth Partners LLC. “NSLComm is uniquely positioned to enable and develop a large set of new offerings utilizing very small and inexpensive satellites for both commercial and government customers.”

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About NSLComm
NSLComm has developed antenna technologies to transform the efficiency of communications services, bringing supercharged bandwidth at a lower price per bit. NSLComm’s antenna solution has been designed to optimize currently available satellite communications technology. Small and lightweight, the main reflector is compacted during launch, so the antenna can be launched using existing rocket launchers for GEO/ LEO satellites. Once released in orbit, the reflector expands to the desired diameter. With an adaptive, pattern-shaping sub reflector, the FlexoSub, it is correctable for high frequencies. The antenna offers active, in-orbit footprint control, allowing operators to focus supply directly on specific areas where there is demand for increased satellite bandwidth. The NSL solution provides throughput increased by up to x100 for LEO across a wider range of frequencies. The company’s current customer base includes satellite and spacecraft developers and manufacturers, satellite owners, and service providers. For more information, please visit www.nslcomm.com

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