About sci_Zone / QuickSAT
sci_Zone, Inc. was founded in 2003 in Holland, Michigan by engineers with deep roots in DoD and NASA programs. Led by CEO Lisa Santangelo and CTO Andrew Santangelo, the company has remained a focused, privately-held firm delivering cutting-edge satellite communications and autonomous systems technology. Despite its small size, sci_Zone has attracted contracts from major organizations including NASA, DARPA, the Air Force Research Laboratory, GE Aviation, and the US Special Operations Command.
The company core innovation is the LinkStar radio system, a full-duplex satellite communications platform powered by the Globalstar LEO constellation of 32 satellites. LinkStar systems are deployed on satellites, CubeSats, high-altitude balloons, UAVs, ground vehicles, and remote infrastructure. The companion QuickSAT software suite provides mission design, flight management, configuration management, autonomy APIs, and vehicle health monitoring through a web-based interface. Their PC104 form-factor radio is specifically designed for CubeSat bus integration.
sci_Zone has been recognized by the US Air Force AFWERX programme and selected for the Base of the Future resilient communications initiative. Their technology has been used in academic satellite missions at Auburn University, Carthage College, Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory, and the US Naval Academy, demonstrating the accessibility of their platform for small-budget space programmes. The company has received multiple SBIR phase awards totalling over $1.4 million.
