The Astranis-built Arcturus geosynchronous communications satellite launched in April has suffered an anomaly with its solar panels that will prevent it from delivering dedicated Internet services to customers in Alaska, CEO John Gedmark tweeted on Friday.

SAN FRANCISCO (Astranis PR) — Astranis Space Technologies Corp. today announced that the first MicroGEO satellite is ready for launch after successful completion of final testing.

Astranis has now completed all major tests necessary for its first MicroGEO spacecraft to be ready to ship to the launch site, including vibration and vibroacoustic tests, final solar array and antenna deployment tests, propulsion system tests, software tests, and electrical checkouts. This follows a successful thermal-vacuum, or TVAC, test campaign that was concluded late last year.

First-ever communications satellite dedicated to serving Peru will provide broadband internet access to roughly three million people for the very first time

SAN FRANCISCO (Astranis PR) — Astranis announced today it has signed an agreement to provide broadband capacity with Astranis MicroGEO communications satellites to Grupo Andesat (Andesat), a cellular services backhaul provider that connects cell towers in Peru to the internet backbone, in a new partnership that will bring broadband internet access to thousands of rural communities across Peru for the first time.

Satellite will launch directly to geostationary orbit, meaning broadband internet service will come online months faster for underserved areas of Alaska

SAN FRANCISCO (Astranis PR) — Astranis announced today that its first commercial communications satellite, set to provide service for Alaska from geostationary orbit, will now launch as a secondary payload on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on a direct-inject mission set for Spring 2022. The mission profile will allow the spacecraft to arrive at its orbital slot within days of launch and removes the need for a multiple-month orbit raise from a highly-elliptical geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).

• Anuvu Announces High Performance MicroGEO Satellite Constellation
• Partnership with Astranis delivers a new approach to satellite connectivity for mobility markets

LOS ANGELES., July 27, 2021 (Anuvu PR) — Anuvu, the leading provider of high-speed connectivity and entertainment solutions for demanding worldwide mobility markets, will launch the first Anuvu Constellation in partnership with next-generation satellite manufacturer Astranis. Anuvu and Silicon Valley-based Astranis are targeting launch for the first two MicroGEO High Throughput Satellites (HTS) in early 2023, with six more to follow.

Orders placed with aerospace suppliers for more than $30M of components

SAN FRANCISCO (Astranis PR) — Astranis announced today that it has started to build four new small geostationary communications satellites, three of which are already spoken for under signed deals with new, yet-to-be-announced customers. To kick off the manufacturing of these four satellites, Astranis has placed orders with many of its major component suppliers, committing over $30 million to start procuring long-lead hardware, confirm delivery dates, and accelerate timelines. The list of suppliers includes trusted aerospace vendors L3 Harris Technologies, RUAG Schweiz AG, Aitech Systems, Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace AS, and Moog, Inc.

• In the framework of the Ariane 6 Competitiveness Improvement Programme, the European Space Agency has appointed ArianeGroup as prime contractor for the development of a complementary stage for Ariane 6, the “ASTRIS” kickstage.
• ArianeGroup development activities are worth €90 million [US $106.2 million]
• Developed by ArianeGroup in Germany, ASTRIS is a true additional stage, called a “kick-stage”, that will further increase the versatility of Ariane 6 and enhance performance for new types of mission
• Powered by the BERTA engine with storable propellants, ASTRIS will increase the capability to inject satellites directly into geostationary orbit (GEO), allow electrically-powered satellites to reach their orbits in a few hours instead of in a few months, and facilitate missions to the Moon and deep space
• The first Ariane 6 mission equipped with the ASTRIS kick-stage is scheduled for 2024

BREMEN, Germany (ArianeGroup PR) — The European Space Agency (ESA), as part of its Ariane 6 Competitiveness Improvement Program, has chosen ArianeGroup to develop and build a complementary stage (kick-stage) for Ariane 6, called ASTRIS, which will enable Arianespace, operator of the new European launcher to place with even greater efficiency a larger number of payloads in different orbits, or to inject satellites into geostationary orbit (GEO).

SAN FRANCISCO (Astranis PR)–Astranis, the company building the next generation of telecommunication satellites, today announced a $250 million Series C financing round, valuing the company at $1.4 billion.

SAN FRANCISCO (Astranis PR)–Microsatellite developer Astranis announced today that former NASA Administrator Dan Goldin will be joining as a senior advisor to the company and chairing its new Technical Advisory Board.

In addition, the company is announcing the completion of the Critical Design Review (CDR) for their first commercial program, a satellite for Pacific Dataport Inc. in Alaska. The CDR was completed under the supervision of Goldin with the participation of some of the space industry’s most experienced technical minds.

Administrator Goldin was the longest-serving NASA Administrator in NASA’s storied history, serving under Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. During his tenure he oversaw the Mars Pathfinder and the use of a “contact lens” to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. He personally developed the conceptual design of the James Webb Space Telescope, and oversaw the design, development, and initial deployment of the International Space Station. “I am joining Astranis because this is a transformational approach to satellite telecommunications,” said Goldin.

SAN FRANCISCO (Astranis PR) — Microsatellite developer Astranis has successfully concluded thermal-vacuum testing of a qualification vehicle developed for their MicroGEO product line of small communication satellites.

This critical test validates the technology’s ability to operate in the harsh environment of space and marks a major milestone on the path to delivering low-cost broadband internet to underserved populations around the world, starting with Astranis’s first commercial satellite that will provide broadband internet in Alaska.