Frequently Asked
Questions

We validate space technologies in orbit and turn them into reusable capabilities others can deploy. If you have hardware that needs flight heritage, we design and fly the mission for you. We handle the satellite bus, launch, operations, and regulatory. You focus on your technology. Once validated, your hardware joins our growing catalog of flight-proven components that can be deployed in future missions.

Rideshare gives you a ride. CubeSat hosting gives you a slot. We give you a mission. That means power, thermal management, communications, data handling, and full operations support, all designed around what your payload actually needs. We don't just co-manifest payloads on the same bus. We integrate partner technologies into coordinated missions where components are validated as part of a working system. That's the difference between sharing a launch vehicle and running a real validation campaign.

An Agile Prime is the New Space evolution of the traditional prime contractor. While legacy primes like Boeing, Lockheed, and MHI are defined by billion-dollar, multi-year custom builds, Satelyx is defined by velocity, standardization, and symbiosis. We operate like a high-speed integrator. We don't just host payloads; we commercialize every mission to validate new hardware, catalog those proven capabilities, and then re-deploy them as off-the-shelf building blocks. By following the SpaceX fail-fast philosophy and the Rocket Lab vertical integration strategy, we compress the orbital timeline from 24 months to 6. Our missions are symbiotic: the partner gets flight heritage, and Satelyx gets a more powerful, lower-risk catalog for the next customer. We don't build satellites from scratch; we assemble the future of space from a growing library of validated technologies.

Satelyx is a space mission integrator built on a high-velocity partnership model. We don't view our role as a vendor; we are here to scale the space ecosystem as a whole. We fly partners affordably because we are focused on a shared outcome: the more successful validation missions we execute, the faster the industry moves from custom, one-off projects to repeatable deployment. Every mission adds flight-proven subsystems to our catalog of validated components. These are strategic assets for the entire network. While you gain the essential heritage and path to commercialization needed to win global contracts, we build the foundational capabilities required to deliver turnkey space systems on demand. We aren't looking to extract maximum value from a single transaction. We are looking to remove the friction from the orbital economy. When we prove once and deploy everywhere, the entire ecosystem wins.

When your hardware is validated in orbit, it earns documented flight heritage, including performance data, telemetry, and a TRL advancement report. That component then enters our catalog as a proven, deployment-ready capability. When a future customer needs that type of capability, whether it's a sensor, a propulsion system, or a communications module, we can offer your technology as part of a turnkey solution. You earn revenue on every redeployment. The catalog compounds over time: the more we fly, the more proven parts we have, and the faster we can assemble complete missions.

Typically 6 to 12 months from initial conversation to launch, depending on payload complexity and mission requirements. The process starts with you sharing your payload specs in any format. We respond within 48 hours. From there, we design the mission architecture, agree on integration milestones, and move into build and integration. Every mission is different, but the timeline is measured in months, not years.

We work with hardware across several verticals: propulsion systems (electric, chemical, novel), sensors and imaging systems, communications modules (D2D, IoT, SDR), AI and edge compute hardware, and more. We fly everything from early experimental payloads that need their first time in orbit to mission-critical systems requiring redundancy and rigorous qualification. Our current platform, VLEO-1, supports payloads up to approximately 8 kg with around 50W of dedicated power. For larger or more complex requirements, we design and fly microsatellites in the 100-300 kg class across multiple orbital regimes. If your payload doesn't fit a standard IOD slot, we architect a dedicated mission around what you need, including custom platform configurations, higher power budgets, and specialized orbits.

VLEO-1 is our next mission, launching Q2/Q3 2027. It's a 100kg-class sun-synchronous platform operating at approximately 400 km altitude in Very Low Earth Orbit. It features approximately 8 kg of available payload capacity, around 50W of dedicated payload power, high-speed X-band data downlink at up to 450 Mbps, 0.1 degree pointing accuracy, and N2O chemical propulsion for orbit maintenance. Integration deadline is Q3 2026.

VLEO, between 200 and 400 km altitude, is operationally demanding due to higher drag, thermal cycling, and atmospheric interaction. Most providers avoid it because the economics don't work for standard rideshare. We've engineered VLEO operations into our platform because many validation payloads need that environment: higher resolution imaging, atmospheric science, propulsion testing, and sensors that benefit from closer proximity to Earth. If your technology needs VLEO conditions to prove itself, we can fly it there.

Mission 0, completed in Q4 2024, validated three core capabilities in orbit: Earth observation, AI Edge Compute, and Communications. It demonstrated that our mission integration model works end-to-end, from payload integration through launch, operations, and data delivery. We now have a downstream pipeline of users for these validated components. Mission 0 is the proof point that the Agile Prime model delivers real results.

Every mission is different, so pricing is case by case. It depends on your payload size, power requirements, orbit, mission duration, and complexity of integration. We work with you to design the right mission at the right investment level. Rather than quoting a fixed price, we architect the mission around your needs and budget, then give you a clear cost estimate as part of the mission architecture review.

You provide your payload hardware and the engineering expertise on your technology. We handle everything else: the satellite bus, launch procurement, ground station operations, mission planning, regulatory licensing, insurance, integration, and data delivery. You'll collaborate with our engineering team during integration to make sure your payload interfaces correctly and meets its validation objectives, but you don't need an ops team, a launch contract, or satellite expertise on your side.

Step 1, The Intake: you share your payload specs, mission objectives, and your specific success criteria (what data you need to prove your tech works). We respond within 48 hours. Step 2, The Matching: we analyze where your tech fits into our infrastructure pipeline, assessing mission fit (which upcoming flight and orbit matches your needs), integration audit (how your payload integrates into our bus), and enhancement check (how the Satelyx ecosystem can provide a superior system-level outcome). Step 3, The Architecture Alignment Review: we host a technical review call to present our integration proposal, showing you the slot reserved for your payload and the technical path to get your hardware Satelyx-Verified in orbit. Step 4, Phased Engagement and Milestone Gates: we move into a phased engagement with clear gates. You only commit further at each stage (MNDA, MOU, Integration, Launch).

Yes. We have active partnerships with organizations including TASA (Taiwan Space Agency, advisory), JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization), and multiple technology partners under NDA. We can connect you with references once we're in a serious conversation and mutual NDAs are in place.

Space carries inherent risk, and we're transparent about that. Our approach to risk management includes phased milestone gates so you only commit further at each stage, payload isolation design so that one payload's issue doesn't affect another's certification, comprehensive pre-flight testing and simulation, and insurance options for mission-critical hardware. We've designed the Agile Prime model to distribute risk across the mission architecture rather than concentrating it on any single partner.

We design for payload isolation. When payloads at different Technology Readiness Levels share a mission, we architect the flight so each is independently verified against its own success criteria. A TRL 6 experiment doesn't affect certification of a TRL 8 operational sensor on the same platform. Each payload gets its own validation report and flight heritage documentation, regardless of what else is on the mission.

After a successful mission, you receive a comprehensive flight heritage package: performance data, telemetry logs, environmental exposure records, and a TRL advancement report. This documentation is what you need to demonstrate flight heritage to government procurement officers, defense customers, investors, or certification bodies. It's the difference between 'we tested it in a lab' and 'it worked in orbit.'

For standard IOD slots on VLEO-1: CAN bus and RS422 interfaces, 24.5 to 29.2V bus voltage, approximately 50W dedicated payload power, and high-speed X-band data downlink at up to 450 Mbps. This covers most validation payloads up to ~8 kg. For larger or mission-critical payloads (propulsion systems, full sensor suites, complex subsystems), we architect dedicated missions on 100-300 kg class microsatellites with custom interface specs, higher power budgets, and orbit-specific configurations. The platform adapts to the mission, not the other way around.

Satelyx is UK-headquartered, based in Taiwan, with active market entry into Japan. Our engineering team operates from Taiwan with advisory support from TASA (Taiwan Space Agency). We maintain global launch and partner relationships across Asia-Pacific, Europe, and beyond.

Our team includes veterans of Singapore's satellite programs who have collectively built and launched over 15 satellites. Dr. Raymond Tsai, our advisor, has led multiple satellite launches and serves as a TASA advisor. Our team combines deep satellite engineering experience with mission integration expertise across multiple orbital regimes.

Send your payload specs to sales@satelyx.com. Any format works: a datasheet, a whitepaper, even a rough sketch. We'll respond within 48 hours with initial feedback and next steps. No commitment required to start the conversation.