TXSpace, a subsidiary of Contec, has signed an antenna supply agreement with Planet Labs.

Newspace representative company Contec (CEO Lee Seong-hee) announced on the 11th that its overseas antenna manufacturing subsidiary TXSpace (Texas Space) has signed an antenna supply contract with private satellite operator Planet Labs.

Contec explained that this contract is significant not only because it goes beyond simple product sales, but also because it enters the Planet Labs supply chain, which is considered the 'gold standard' in the global satellite industry.

Planet Labs, a NASDAQ-listed company with a market capitalization of 12 trillion won, operates a constellation of over 200 satellites, collecting Earth observation data daily. The company's competitive edge lies in its ground station processing capabilities, which rapidly transmit massive amounts of satellite data to the ground.

TXSpace's selection as an official supplier just two years after its founding, beating out numerous global antenna specialists, is considered an unprecedented achievement even within the industry. Industry insiders attributed this success to TXSpace's "ground station vertical integration model," which combines the antenna manufacturing expertise of its core team with the ground station construction and operation capabilities of its parent company, Contec, resulting in high scores for cost efficiency and scalability.

Since its founding in 2024, TXSpace has been actively engaged in global operations and aims to surpass $10 million in antenna supply contracts this year. Additional supply negotiations are currently underway with major space companies in North America and Europe, and the likelihood of securing a major order within the year is high.

An industry insider predicted, “The satellite ground station market has a strong ‘lock-in effect,’ where operating and maintenance revenue is consistently generated for more than 10 years after construction,” and “As TXSpace secures a Tier-1 reference called Planet Labs, the gap with late-comer space startups will widen further.”

“Given the pace at which Planet Labs is expanding its satellite constellation, we anticipate receiving orders for more than 10 additional antennas from a single customer in the future,” a Contec official said. “This represents a stable cash flow stream in the high-performance antenna market.”

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