SWISSto12 Signs With Mitsubishi Electric to 3D Print Satellite Payloads for Japan

Swiss satellite payload specialist SWISSto12 signed a memorandum of understanding with Mitsubishi Electric Corporation on September 14, 2026. The agreement sets out joint work on advanced satellite payloads, radio-frequency products, and Asia-Pacific market development. MELCO also awarded SWISSto12 a contract to deliver advanced phased-array antenna assemblies for the Japanese government's geostationary secure-communications satellite program.

The partnership pairs MELCO's satellite integration capability with SWISSto12's additive manufacturing process for RF hardware. SWISSto12 uses 3D printing to produce antennas, waveguides, and filters in complex geometries that would require multiple machined parts assembled together. The company says more than 2,000 of its 3D-printed RF products are already in orbit, which gives the technology genuine flight heritage.

Masahiko Arai, Executive Officer and Group President of Defense and Space Systems at Mitsubishi Electric, said: "SWISSto12's innovative technologies, including its 3D-printing-based component manufacturing technology and small geostationary satellite platform, hold tremendous potential. By combining these technologies with our expertise in the development and manufacturing of defense- and space-related systems, we are confident that we can deliver unprecedented value to our customers."

Why additive manufacturing matters for satellite payloads

Traditional satellite RF components are machined from solid billets of aluminum or copper. The process is slow, creates material waste, and limits geometry. SWISSto12's approach deposits carbon-fiber reinforced polymer in layers, then fuses the stack under heat and pressure. The result is a part that weighs less, fits tighter spaces, and can be iterated quickly without new tooling.

The MELCO contract specifically covers phased-array antenna products. Phased arrays are used in secure military and government communications satellites because they can steer beams electronically without moving the satellite itself. Making those antenna elements through additive manufacturing shortens the supply chain and reduces mass at exactly the point where every kilogram counts.

What MELCO's recent contract means

Mitsubishi Electric was awarded a contract worth approximately 123.5 billion yen by Japan's Ministry of Defense in February 2026 to develop and build a replacement for the Kirameki-2 X-band communications satellite. That program provides a near-term anchor customer for the SWISSto12 antenna components under the new commercial supply contract. It also gives both companies a shared delivery target with real budget and schedule constraints.

SWISSto12 raised $70 million earlier in 2026 to expand its manufacturing and integration capacity. The MELCO partnership gives that new capacity a high-profile customer. Dr. Emile de Rijk, CEO of SWISSto12, said: "We are proud to partner strategically with MELCO and support the next-generation sovereign communications system of Japan. Demand in APAC is growing for innovative, advanced payloads and RF products across sovereign land, sea, air, and space applications and we are confident that together, we can scale our ability to meet it."

Broader context

The deal reflects a pattern across the space industry: traditional satellite prime contractors in Asia and Europe are signing supply agreements with specialist additive manufacturing firms rather than building that capability in-house. For SWISSto12, the MELCO relationship adds a Tier 1 anchor to its customer list alongside existing deployments across aerospace and defense programs in the US and Europe. For MELCO, it is a way to accelerate payload development without committing capital to unproven manufacturing technology.