Astranis has unveiled a new generation of communications satellites that will deliver broadband to customers from geostationary orbit, but faster and smaller than any current communications satellite. They believe that the future of orbital communications is not only in higher orbits, but in the possibility of customers (government and commercial) having their own private satellite network.
Called Omega, the new class of satellites will provide about 50 gigabits per second of bandwidth in Ka bands both civil and military, making it clear from the beginning that it is a dual-application technology.
Astranis builds and operates relatively small broadband satellites in high orbits and sells that capacity to telecommunications and Internet service providers. The company has contracts to provide capacity to suppliers in Mexico, the Philippines, Alaska and Southeast Asia.
The startup prides itself on the comparatively tiny size of its satellites GEO, which are typically huge and, as a result, easy to track and potentially attack.
“We need to move to a more resilient architecture. No more big, juicy goals! said Astranis CEO John Gedmark.
The improved bandwidth is due to a next-generation Astranis software-defined radio, but the signal is implemented more efficiently. While the previous generation sent out a set of coherent beams, like spotlights, the new generation is more like a large array of LEDs, providing a uniform signal over a much larger area. Gedmark said that although the number of points that can be served depends on the customer and the use case, in theory it is in the millions. The satellites use existing Ka-band receivers instead of a custom-built antenna like Starlink's.
Speaking of competitors: When asked how the orbital communications market would develop in the short term, Gedmark was very optimistic. He said the appetite for bandwidth is effectively unlimited, at least at the prices they can offer, which are well below legacy GEO data connections.
Image credits: Astranis
In particular, Astranis said the satellite will support specific waveforms that are of interest to the Department of Defense, such as the protected tactical waveform, so it can still provide capability even in adversarial environments. The Astranis proposal (many small GEO satellites) is a far cry from legacy technology, which has generally been based on very large, very expensive and non-maneuverable GEO satellites. In other words, easy targets for adversaries.
Like the company's current satellites, Omega will have the ability to maneuver in GEO using onboard all-electric propulsion. Astranis said the more efficient thrust will allow it to maintain its station for at least 10 years, as well as perform numerous repositionings and other maneuvers. By then, the next generation will probably be ready to take their place.
However, what may be Astranis' standout product will be dedicated satellites for customers. Obviously, nations have their own spy satellites and the like, but they cost hundreds of millions of dollars and are often funded by defense budgets. But even multinational corporations don't tend to have that kind of money available, at least for that purpose, and if they did, they don't usually have satellite management departments. Astranis plans to essentially offer “satellite as a service,” where for an initial monthly fee a satellite can be allocated entirely (or partially) for the use of a single customer.
Gedmark declined to name any of the companies that had expressed interest or were being courted in other ways, but did suggest that energy and oil and gas companies are obvious, with stakes in large geographic areas and demand for a fair amount. security of satellite data. He also said that while there are no official plans yet to approach the cislunar market, there is great opportunity for future growth.
The company aims to complete the first Omega satellite in 2025 and launch it into orbit in 2026. The plan is to launch on the order of six satellites at that time, and then up to 24 per year will be launched, depending on how manufacturing scales up.
