Leaf Space and Eclipse Space are deepening their partnership across two fronts: integrating Leaf Space’s TreeNodes into Eclipse Space’s constellation platforms, and jointly developing millimeter-wave (mmW) gateways for satellite communications constellations. This comes off the back of Eclipse becoming the third partner of TreeNet, supporting Leaf with testing deployment. The announcement comes as operators, investors, and government leaders convene in Paris this week for World Space Business Week, where ground segment capacity is emerging as a central theme for the industry’s next phase of growth.
Eclipse Space, a global provider of turnkey, customer-owned satellite constellations, will integrate Leaf Space’s TreeNodes into its CitraSat, SliceSat, and SurgeSat platforms. The integration gives Eclipse Space’s customers direct access to the TreeNet mesh network, enabling continuous communications during constellation operations and compatibility with all of Leaf Space’s existing ground stations. Leaf Space and Eclipse Space are now working together on testing and deployment ahead of a wider rollout across Eclipse Space’s platform lineup.
TreeNet sits alongside Leaf Line, Leaf Space’s global, scheduled ground, adding a persistent, satellite-to-satellite connectivity layer between ground passes. Operators can pair Leaf Line’s high-capacity scheduled downlink with TreeNet’s continuous, in-orbit connectivity, without changing their existing relationship with Leaf Space.
Alongside the TreeNet integration, Leaf Space and Eclipse Space are partnering to deliver millimeter-wave gateways in support of communications satellite constellations. The collaboration gives Eclipse Space’s customers a quicker path to market, built on Leaf Space’s existing, globally distributed, ground infrastructure and its position as a global leader in Ground Segment-as-a-Service (GSaaS) solutions.
“Ground infrastructure is where the constellation economy will be won or lost. Operators need connectivity that scales as fast as they launch,” said Giovanni Pandolfi Bortoletto, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Leaf Space. “Eclipse Space is extending TreeNet’s reach into its own constellation platforms, giving its customers access to a mesh network built for continuous, always-on communication. That’s what the next phase of access to space looks like.”
Novaspace, the organizer of this week’s World Space Business Week, puts the global ground segment market at $106 billion in its latest forecast, citing NGSO constellation growth as the primary driver behind rising demand for ground stations and managed ground services. Supply-side growth in satellites is translating directly into ground infrastructure demand, the report found.
“As constellations scale, the bottleneck moves to the ground. Millimeter-wave is how you break through it, and the sovereigns and operators that get there first will have the advantage,” said Derek Huerta, CEO of Eclipse Space. “Partnering with Leaf Space lets our customers reach market faster by adding millimeter-wave capability to a ground network that already exists. Leaf Space is a leader in ground segment services, and together we are expanding what that infrastructure can deliver for the next generation of constellations.”
Pandolfi Bortoletto will carry this theme onto the stage Thursday, joining representatives from across the ground segment providers for a panel on the GSaaS model’s role in expanding access to space, part of this year’s World Space Business Week program in Paris.
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