Launch signals for four-satellite Astranis are shifting toward scaled GEO deployments

TAMPA, Fla. – SpaceX successfully launched four Astranis-built broadband spacecraft into geostationary orbit on Dec. 29. This is the first time a single commercial manufacturer has flown four of its own satellites on a mission to GEO.

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the satellites lifted off east from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 12 p.m. and placed them in a supersynchronous geostationary transfer orbit a little more than half an hour later.

Astranis spokesman Christian Keil confirmed the signal acquisition about three hours later and said it would now take several months for the satellites to get into position and pass health checks before entering commercial operation.

The company’s previous satellite, Arcturus – the first to be based on its small, 400-kilogram MicroGEO platform and capable of being reprogrammed in orbit – suffered a two-board failure following its successful launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy in April 2023. Solar drive assemblies.

In addition to solar array improvements, the Block 2 series of four satellites includes:

• The manufacturer believes that a new gimbal developed by Astranis will extend the lifespan from seven to at least eight years.
• A deployable main reflector designed to increase Ka-band throughput per satellite from 10 gigabits per second to 12 Gbit/s.

The Arcturus malfunction prevented the satellite from aligning its solar arrays with the sun to provide constant power, scuttling original plans to beam broadband to Alaska for local telecommunications company Pacific Dataport.

Instead, San Francisco-based Astranis moved the satellite over Asia earlier this year, supporting Israeli operator Spacecom’s claim to an orbital slot it had reserved in the region under international rules.

Two Block 2 satellites, NuView Alpha and NuView Bravo, are en route to geostationary orbit over the Americas for onboard connectivity provider Anuvu.

Another satellite called Agila was sold to Orbits Corp, part of Philippine internet service provider HTechCorp, and Astranis said it was the first communications satellite ever destined for the Philippines.

Astranis describes the fourth satellite, UtilitySat, as a multi-mission spacecraft designed to serve multiple customers throughout its operational lifetime.

UtilitySat was originally intended to provide bridge capacity over Alaska; However, Keil said it would initially provide communications over Mexico for Apco Networks, a Mexican telecommunications company that has ordered two of the five Block 3 Astranis satellites to be launched next year along with an undisclosed rocket.

“This UtilitySat mission will accelerate that mission – it gives them the opportunity to get going and get some market penetration before the launch of the two dedicated satellites,” Keil said.

Astranis has not announced any other UtilitySat customers other than Apco.

The company operates its satellites and sells capacity under long-term leases. At the size of a dishwasher, they are much smaller than typical school bus-sized GEO spacecraft and are designed for smaller regional coverage.

In a statement, Astranis CEO John Gedmark said: “With this launch, we will prove that Astranis can transport and operate multiple satellites simultaneously.”

“We are on track to increase the manufacturing frequency we need to achieve to meet all customer demand, both commercial and government.”

Block 3 also includes a replacement for Pacific Dataport, another satellite for Orbits Corp and one for Thai fleet operator Thaicom.

In 2026, Astranis plans to begin deploying next-generation Omega wideband spacecraft, which would be slightly larger than previous generations and deliver five times greater throughput.

Industry development

According to Keil, the Dec. 29 SpaceX mission also made Astranis the fourth company to send four or more satellites to GEO in a calendar year, joining established fleet operators SES, Intelsat and Eutelsat.

Additionally, Astranis has launched more satellites to GEO in the last two years than any other operator, amid a shrinking geostationary market that is losing ground to low-Earth orbit constellations.

Swissto12 from Switzerland also wants to carve out a role for itself in the small GEO market and aims to deploy its first satellites in 2026 after receiving a total of four orders from Viasat and Intelsat.

Related