Start-up satellite manufacturer and operator Astranis announced on Monday it has signed a contract with SpaceX to launch five more of its MicroGEO broadband satellites later this year.
The satellites to be launched include Thaicom-9 for Thaicom subsidiary Space Tech Innovation Limited (STI), which signed a deal with Astranis in March 2024. Thaicom-9 will provide Ka-band services over Asia, with an option for expanded coverage through future satellites.
Also set for launch is a second MicroGEO satellite for Mexican ISP Apco Networks. The first Apco satellite was launched at the end of December 30 on a dedicated Falcon 9 along with three other Astranis satellites, for customers in the Philippines and the US. Those satellites are slated to enter service in the middle of this year.
Astranis did not provide a specific date for the 2025 launch.
If the launch is successful, that will make ten Astranis geostationary satellites in orbit (including its first satellite, Arcturus, which was launched in 2023 to coduct short-term demonstration missions for both commercial and US government customers) within the span of two years, which Astranis is touting as an industry record.
Astranis’ MicroGEO satellites weigh under 500kg and use software-defined radios that allow different frequencies to be programmed after launch based on customer demand. However, the lifespan of a MicroGEO satellite is around eight years – half the life of a traditional geostationary satellite.
