COMMStellation™ is MSCI’s name for our communications constellation that is being developed to help alleviate global backhaul issues and connect rural and remote areas of the world where fibre infrastructure is cost prohibitive. COMMStellation™ is scheduled for launch in 2015.

MSCI’s COMMStellation™ will orbit the earth at a height of 1,000 kilometres circling the earth in a polar orientation. The COMMStellation™ will be comprised of 78 microsatellites in 6 orbital planes with an additional 6 redundant microsatellites (1 per orbital plane). In its current configuration, COMMStellation™ will provide 100% global coverage with up to 15 times the speed and 10 times the total bandwidth capacity of a MEO constellation of comparable satellites.

The MSCI COMMStellation™ will be connected to terrestrial telecommunications networks through 20 telecommunications ports (teleports) located around the earth. The satellites are planned to be launched into orbit at 14 to a rocket requiring only 6 rockets to launch the entire constellation.

MSCI’s motto A Different Satellite Company is based on the fact that we actually think and do things very differently as compared to traditional satellite companies. We have perfected the microsatellite and the use of commercial-grade components that contribute to disruptive cost and scheduling efficiencies. These efficiencies have enabled the development of such a massive constellation which, in the past, would have been completely cost-prohibitive.