SWISSto12 has passed the Critical Design Review for the S-band and Ka-band phased array antennas it is building for UNIVITY's 5G non-terrestrial network demonstration satellites. The company uses 3D printing for the passive radiating front ends. The programme now moves into hardware production and a verification and acceptance campaign.
Key facts
CDR passed in less than one year
S-band array for direct-to-device, Ka-band array at 26 GHz
Part of UNIVITY's uniShape programme, backed by France 2030 and CNES
Built at SWISSto12's facility in Switzerland
Context A Critical Design Review is the formal checkpoint at which a design is confirmed as mature enough to move into hardware production.
What is SWISSto12 building for UNIVITY?
Two active antennas: an S-band direct radiating array for direct-to-device service, linking standard 5G phones to the satellite, and a Ka-band array at 26 GHz for broadband and feeder links. Together they let one satellite carry both services.
How is the work organised?
The arrays come from the HummingLink product line and include radiating elements with integrated low-loss filters. SWISSto12 also designs and builds the beamforming PCBs at its Swiss site, with a vertically integrated delivery model. The work belongs to UNIVITY's uniShape programme, supported by France 2030 and CNES.
What it means
For manufacturers considering AM in space and telecom hardware, the case shows printed RF front ends being handled inside a conventional programme review, with a compressed schedule of under a year to CDR. The source gives no figures on printing process, cost or part counts, so the business case cannot be judged yet. The next phase, verification and acceptance, is where qualification effort for printed flight hardware will show.
Frequently asked questions
What did SWISSto12 achieve?
It passed the Critical Design Review for the S-band and Ka-band phased array antennas for UNIVITY's 5G NTN demonstration satellites, in less than one year.
What is 3D printed in the antennas?
SWISSto12 uses 3D printing to produce the passive radiating front ends of the arrays.
What comes next?
Hardware production and an extensive verification and acceptance campaign.