- Astranis announces a contract with a partner from the national security space community to demonstrate secure end-to-end communications using the Arcturus satellite.
- The on-orbit test will showcase secure uplink and downlink between San Francisco and Alaska, highlighting the agility and potential of Astranis’s MicroGEO technology.
San Francisco, CA, August 25, 2023- In a significant stride towards bolstering secure communications for the US Government, Astranis, the innovative satellite company, has announced a new contract that will leverage its Arcturus satellite for an on-orbit demonstration.
Strengthening Secure Communications in Space
“Ever since Astranis announced our intention to provide secure comms for the US Government, we have been looking forward to having an on-orbit satellite that could be used to demonstrate exactly that,” said John Gedmark, Astranis Co-founder and CEO. The recent cyberattacks on satellite systems, notably by Russia before its invasion of Ukraine, underscore the urgency of enhancing the resilience of on-orbit assets.
Astranis’s commitment to this cause is evident in its collaboration with the Department of Defense and its investment in the development of industry-leading Software-Defined Radio technology. “Flexibility is the key to reliability in on-orbit communications in a contested environment,” Gedmark emphasized.
Demonstrating the Power of MicroGEO
The upcoming demonstration will use the Arcturus satellite to establish a secure communication link from San Francisco to Alaska and back. This rapid-response initiative showcases the potential of Astranis’s MicroGEO technology to address national security needs swiftly and could pave the way for the acquisition of more dedicated satellite assets in the future.
This isn’t the first tech demonstration for the Arcturus satellite, but it’s a significant one. Astranis has previously collaborated with both commercial and government entities to validate the operation of its uniquely designed payload. “All Astranis hardware on-board Arcturus continues to work perfectly,” Gedmark confirmed.
