KSATlite did not begin with a product brochure, a tidy roadmap, or a clear market forecast.
It began with a realization: the space industry was about to change faster than anyone expected, and KSAT had to decide whether to follow or be left behind.
Around 2012–2013, a new wave of companies emerged, especially in the US. They were small, fast, and comfortable with risk. They built satellites with commercial components, prioritized speed over perfection, and questioned long‑standing assumptions that had defined the industry for decades..
At the same time, the ground segment still reflected an earlier era: a small number of large missions, long planning cycles, bespoke solutions, and substantial upfront commitments. KSAT was deeply rooted in this model, working closely with robust institutional missions that valued reliability and thoroughness.
The challenge was not technological — it was cultural.
These emerging players didn’t want a cheaper version of the traditional ground segment. They wanted flexibility, scalability, and a partner who understood their pace of growth and uncertainty.
KSAT could either step into this new landscape or step aside.
Listening Before Building
Early sales trips to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, and Washington were long, often 10 to 13 days, and there were only a handful of potential customers. But the conversations were consistent and impossible to ignore:
- “We can’t commit upfront.”
- “We don’t know our volume yet.”
- “We need something that scales only when we do.”
One founder put it bluntly: “If the ground segment can’t adapt, we’ll find a way around it.”
This was a pivotal moment. KSAT could have dismissed the market as too immature — but doing so would likely have meant missing a fundamental industry shift.
A Volume Market
The realization that this was a volume-driven market, many satellites, frequent passes, tight cost envelopes, shaped everything that followed.
A practical decision became symbolic of the entire approach: the antenna.
Bigger antennas delivered better performance , but not at scale. The 3.7‑meter antenna became the sweet spot: strong performance, reasonable cost, and deployable widely.
The backend was harder. Standardizing it in 2013 was almost impossible; software often cost as much as the antenna itself. Most customers preferred to host their own systems, for reasons ranging from technical pride .
This became a defining moment for the initiative.
Instead, KSAT chose patience. We found the right supplier who was willing to explore software-driven, upgradeable systems, even if early progress was slow. Together, we built something solid enough to grow with.
Betting Before the Proof Existed
The biggest challenges in the first four years weren’t technical — they were internal. Would these small-satellite companies survive? Would volume ever turn into real revenue?
Was this simply a passing trend?
In 2014, KSAT made a defining decision: invest and commit. It was risky. But waiting for certainty felt riskier.
This required a startup mindset inside an established organization, a rare combination. We had to define: what do we standardize? Where is the sweet spot? How do we price such a service?
There were no perfect answers — only directions.
From Vision to Service
By 2016, KSATlite moved from idea to operational reality.
The vision was ambitious: standardized antennas, a standardized backend, and systems designed for automation and multi-mission operations.
Early product tiers — static and flexible — were stepping stones. Customers needed finer granularity and more options. But one principle became the core of the model:
No upfront commitment.
Pay per contact
This was more than a commercial decision — it was a signal of trust and alignment. KSAT would grow alongside the customer, at their pace. Early operations were often manual and demanding, but they built credibility and demonstrated that KSAT could adopt startup-style agility when the industry required it.
Making It Real
The industry took notice. Many companies talked about similar ideas — but KSATlite had one decisive advantage:
It was already operating.
Scaling required more than antennas. It demanded discipline in deployment, automation, scheduling, and architecture. Standard radios and modems became the first major step toward a scalable, multi-mission ground system.
The approach was pragmatic and iterative: sell the service, reinvest in improvements, refine the roadmap.
There was a difficult but necessary question: Were we competing with ourselves?
The answer: If we didn’t challenge our own model, someone else would.
What KSATlite Changed
KSATlite didn’t succeed because it launched perfectly.
It succeeded because it embraced uncertainty and acted early.
It proved that:
- Standardization in the ground segment is possible.
- “As-a-service” works only when both sides trust the model.
- Pay‑per‑contact can unlock an entire segment of the industry.
- Even well‑established organizations can reinvent themselves when they listen early and adapt boldly.
This is how KSATlite began.
And the future of the ground segment is still being written — one contact at a time.
ABOUT STIG-ARE: Stig-Are is the man behind the KSATlite idea. During his 14 years at KSAT, he served as International Sales Manager and Director of Business Development US, and was responsible for setting up KSAT's operations in the US as Head of Silicon Valley. He concluded his tenure at KSAT as Head of Innovation Management. Today, he runs his own consultancy, working as a strategy expert at Orizuru.