Astranis Space Technologies is a satellite manufacturer and operator that builds small, low-cost telecommunications satellites for providing dedicated internet bandwidth, especially to underserved regions. Headquartered in San Francisco, the company utilizes its MicroGEO satellites with proprietary software-defined radio payloads to offer bandwidth-as-a-service. Astranis has contracts with the U.S. Space Force, NASA, and commercial partners like Pacific Dataport and Anuvu, focusing on connectivity solutions and government science missions. The company aims to produce up to 24 satellites a year.
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Astranis Space Technologies is scheduled to launch a small communications satellite to geostationary orbit this summer that will provide internet services exclusively over Alaska.
Two of the four Astranis satellites contracted for SpaceX launches in 2023 are for inflight connectivity provider Anuvu.
Astranis signed a contract with SpaceX on 2022-04-07 to book a dedicated Falcon 9 rocket for launching its latest generation of satellites.
Astranis’ four-satellite payload on SpaceX’s 2023 mission includes two satellites for inflight connectivity provider Anuvu, one satellite for Peruvian telco Andesat, and one satellite without an announced customer.
Astranis’ satellites weigh around 400 kg and are among the smallest in the geostationary orbit (GEO) industry.
Astranis has raised over $350,000,000 from investors that include Andreessen Horowitz, Venrock, and BlackRock.
Astranis plans to have more than 100 satellites in active service by 2030 to connect millions of people in underserved communities with low-cost broadband internet access.
The Astranis payload for the dedicated Falcon 9 launch is well below the maximum payload capacity of a Falcon 9 vehicle, creating a performance margin Astranis is using to tailor the insertion orbit and accelerate service entry compared with a shared ride.
The four Astranis MicroGEO satellites will be launched to a custom geostationary orbit with each satellite conducting on-orbit maneuvers to inject itself into its assigned orbital slot.
Each Astranis spacecraft is designed to operate from geostationary orbit and has a next-generation design mass of approximately 400 kg with a proprietary software-defined radio payload.
Fully software-defined satellite platforms from Airbus, Thales Alenia Space, Astranis, and other manufacturers accounted for more than half of high throughput satellite orders for geostationary orbit over 2019–2021.
Mike Mancini, chief financial officer of Astranis, views demand for connectivity as effectively unlimited and supports deploying both LEO and GEO assets to meet that demand.
Astranis expects the MicroGEO satellite to provide true broadband speeds and reliability to consumers at roughly one-half the cost of existing services in Alaska.
Astranis provides dedicated satellite bandwidth as a service to customers such as Pacific Dataport Inc. to connect people in underserved or hard-to-reach locations.
John Gedmark, Astranis CEO, provided details about the insurance package at World Satellite Business Week in Paris.
Astranis unveiled on 2021-12-14 details of the insurance package covering its first commercial small satellite.
SpaceX is slated to launch Astranis’ first commercial small satellite to geostationary orbit as a secondary payload on a Falcon Heavy rocket next spring.
Astranis is investing millions of dollars to construct a gateway in Peru as part of the Andesat project.
Astranis’ first commercial communications satellite, set to provide service for Alaska from geostationary orbit, will launch as a secondary payload on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy direct-inject mission in Spring 2022.
An initial Astranis satellite under the Andesat deal will launch into service in 2023 to become the first satellite dedicated solely to serving the people of Peru.