It's been just over a year since project kickoff, and @MeridianSpace's First Customer Link (FCL) satellite is sitting atop its launch vehicle, ready to demonstrate Meridian's proprietary 5G communications technology in orbit. Set to launch aboard Transporter-18 on October 1st at 18:18 UTC, FCL carries Meridian's proprietary communications payload, including two advanced reflectarray antennas, aboard our MP42 microsatellite bus. These systems will lay the foundation for what's coming next: A constellation-optimized satellite we are designing together for scalable manufacturing, with a compact, power-efficient design that makes the most of launch vehicle payload volume and reduces deployment costs as Meridian scales toward its high-capacity LEO constellation. For governments and enterprises, this will open up more accessible, sovereign broadband infrastructure that they can own and control independently. Learn more about broadband constellations designed for sovereign affordability in the comments below and stay tuned for more launch updates. Launch integration image courtesy of SpaceX.

Satellite: successfully shaken. @SpinLaunch is now one step closer to launching its first customer link satellite, carrying the payload that will power the 280-satellite Meridian Space broadband constellation:   SpinLaunch's low-power, high-throughput reflectarray antenna, paired with flight heritage derived from our MP42 microsatellite bus, is designed to deliver global Tbps capacity in far fewer launches than other SatCom systems in low Earth orbit.  For governments and enterprises, that means affordable, sovereign broadband infrastructure they can own and control independently.   Passing its shake test at our partner's V2i cleanroom facilities was step #1 of the satellite's "Test as You Fly" campaign, demonstrating nothing will come loose or break during its launch.    Afterward, the satellite entered our thermal vacuum chamber to run test scripts under simulated cold, heat, and vacuum conditions, just like in space.   Learn more about our partnership with SpinLaunch and the future of sovereign internet connectivity on our blog below. Images courtesy of V2i.

We and @SpinLaunch have cleared multiple milestones in recent weeks towards its Meridian Space broadband megaconstellation for enterprise users:   — SpinLaunch completed lab testing of its novel reflectarray antenna, demonstrating the critical functions required for its low-mass, high-throughput satellites. — Our teams successfully closed the Delta Design Review for SpinLaunch's First Customer Link mission, hosted on our standard MP42 microsatellite bus, and booked its launch. — We concluded a FlatSat training session for SpinLaunch, so their team could perform hardware-in-the-loop testing and develop the software interface between their payload and our MP42 bus. — First Customer Link satellite flight hardware entered production. — We made substantial progress towards our new European satellite factory, which will house serial manufacturing lines for the initial 280 Meridian Space constellation satellites and other large customer orders. More on that next month, during our presentation at Space Tech Expo Europe.   Visit our blog below to learn how SpinLaunch's novel antenna and bent-pipe architecture, paired with our mass-efficient satellite buses, can deliver multi-Tbps of capacity in far fewer launches and at a fraction of the cost of traditional broadband constellations in low Earth orbit.

While @spinlaunch is rethinking what's possible with lighter, more efficient satellite broadband constellations, our modular satellite buses are helping its Meridian Space constellation move fast without compromising reliability. And whether it's enabling fast-moving constellations like Meridian Space or supporting entirely different missions in Earth observation, national security, or science, our standard satellite platforms are built to adapt. Modular by design, they make it easy for missions of all types and sizes to achieve their mission success. Learn more about the 280 satellite constellation we're building for SpinLaunch and our flight-proven small satellite buses in the comments below.