Astranis to launch two satellites in the Philippines

Details: Manny Pham; Category: Satellite Networks; 16 November 2023; 11601 views

Satellite connectivity company Astranis announced it will have two satellites in operation next year over the Philippines to connect remote islands.

The announcement was made by Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos (pictured, second) and Astranis co-founder and CEO John Gedmark (pictured, first), at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation conference.

The first and new satellite dubbed Agila will launch in Q1 next year. Meanwhile, the second satellite, which was previously announced, will follow later in 2024.

Agila will be the first to be dedicated to connectivity in the Philippines. Agila is a microGEO satellite which is lighter than traditional GEO satellites and can be used to provide coverage to a single region, instead of a whole continent as GEO satellites operate.

In a blog post, Gedmark claimed the addition of Agila will double the number of people on low-income (US$5000 per year) connecting to the internet on remote islands, although he did not provide a figure.

Astranis is working with Orbits Corp, the latter of which will be providing connectivity to Filipinos. Orbits Corp estimated that 10,000 indirect jobs will be created due to the availability of connectivity and “jumpstart” economic development in the most remote communities in the Philippines.

Astranis recently announced it will launch satellites in Mexico. The company positions itself as an alternative satellite connectivity provider, aiming to plug gaps in remote locations.