{"id":18622,"date":"2018-03-01T21:56:12","date_gmt":"2018-03-01T13:56:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/with-13-5m-boost-astranis-unveils-big-plan-to-beam-internet-from-small-satellites\/"},"modified":"2018-03-01T21:56:12","modified_gmt":"2018-03-01T13:56:12","slug":"with-13-5m-boost-astranis-unveils-big-plan-to-beam-internet-from-small-satellites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/with-13-5m-boost-astranis-unveils-big-plan-to-beam-internet-from-small-satellites\/","title":{"rendered":"With $13.5M boost, Astranis unveils big plan to beam internet from small satellites"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Astranis
An artist\u2019s conception shows an Astranis satellite in geostationary orbit. (Astranis Illustration)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Astranis Space Technologies is taking the wraps off a plan to provide internet access to billions of people, using small-sized, low-cost satellites that are lofted into high-flying orbits.<\/p>\n

The San Francisco-based venture emerged from stealth mode today and reported a $13.5 million Series A investment round, led by Andreessen Horowitz with additional participation by Y Combinator, Fifty Years, Refactor Capital and Indicator Fund.<\/p>\n

The new investment brings Astranis\u2019 total funding to $18 million. That may sound like a lot \u2014 until you consider that aerospace heavyweights such as SpaceX and OneWeb are spending billions of dollars pursuing the same goal.<\/p>\n

The competition doesn\u2019t faze Astranis CEO and co-founder John Gedmark, an aerospace engineer who previously served as executive director of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are huge fans of what SpaceX and OneWeb are doing,\u201d he told GeekWire. \u201cThis is such a massive problem that we need a whole array of approaches.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like SpaceX and OneWeb, Astranis is aiming to put up satellites capable of providing broadband internet access to the estimated 4 billion Earthlings who can\u2019t get it today.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not just a problem in the developing world,\u201d Gedmark said. He noted that hundreds of thousands of people currently lack broadband access in Kentucky, the state where he was born and raised.<\/p>\n

To fill the gap, SpaceX and OneWeb intend to put thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit, a feat that will require lots of launches to get the constantly moving constellation up and running.<\/p>\n

In contrast Astranis plans to send one satellite at a time to slots in geostationary orbit, 22,000 miles high, where each satellite can beam data up and down on a steady basis.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can get started with just one satellite,\u201d Gedmark said.<\/p>\n

\"Astranis'
The founders of Astranis are CTO Ryan McLinko, left, and CEO John Gedmark. (Astranis Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Seattle-based Spaceflight arranged for the stealthy launch of Astranis\u2019 first prototype satellite to low Earth orbit aboard an Indian PSLV rocket in January, and Gedmark reported that a data transmission test was conducted successfully on Feb. 15.<\/p>\n

He said two high-definition video files were sent up to the satellite from a ground station in Alaska, digitally processed in real time using Astranis\u2019 proprietary software-defined radio technology, and sent back down. (RBC Signals, a startup based in Redmond, Wash., arranged for the ground services in Alaska.)<\/p>\n

One of the videos was a clip showing the PSLV launch, Gedmark said. The other clip documented tennis star Roger Federer\u2019s recent win at the Australian Open \u2014 which Gedmark said was chosen because the engineer who was in charge of Mission Control at the time is a big tennis fan.<\/p>\n

With Spaceflight\u2019s assistance, Astranis plans to have its first operational satellite sent to geostationary Earth orbit, or GEO, sometime next year, Gedmark said.<\/p>\n

He said the 300-kilogram (660-pound), 3-foot-wide satellite could be launched as a secondary payload on any of several types of rockets, ranging from SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 to United Launch Alliance\u2019s Atlas 5 to the European Ariane 5.<\/p>\n

\"Astranis
Astranis\u2019 MicroGEO satellite is about the size of a mini-fridge. (Astranis Graphic)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Eventually, Astranis aims to mass-produce satellites at its 13,000-square-foot facility in the San Francisco area. The company currently has about 20 employees, \u201cand we\u2019re hiring,\u201d Gedmark said.<\/p>\n

He said the key to success lies in being able to provide GEO data services using satellites that weigh mere hundreds of pounds rather than tons. \u201cThese satellites are tens of millions of dollars, as opposed to hundreds of millions \u2014 and that\u2019s a game-changer,\u201d he told GeekWire.<\/p>\n

The satellites would serve operators who already have highly prized GEO slots reserved. Gedmark said \u201cwe have a long list of interested customers,\u201d but declined to list them.<\/p>\n

The potential end users could range from smartphone owners on a data plan, to cable subscribers in homes and schools, to airplane passengers using in-flight WiFi. But because services would be sold wholesale to satellite operators, those users may not even know that Astranis is boosting their broadband.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just adding to the world\u2019s supply of satellite bandwidth,\u201d Gedmark explained. \u201cIt means more bandwidth to go around.\u201d<\/p>\n