SpaceX launches four MicroGEO satellites in a dedicated mission for Astranis on Dec. 29. Photo: SpaceX

Four Astranis MicroGEO satellites are on their way to orbit after a dedicated SpaceX launch early Sunday. 

SpaceX launched the four satellites to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 12:00 a.m. ET on Dec. 29. Astranis confirmed post-launch that it has control of all four spacecraft. 

Astranis builds Geostationary (GEO) satellites that have a smaller form factor than the traditional GEO satellites. Because of this, the mission had the interesting distinction of being the first time a single satellite manufacturer has flown four of its own satellites on a single launch to GEO. 

Two of the four GEO satellites launched — NuView Alpha and NuView Bravo — will support in-flight connectivity for Anuvu. The third satellite, AGILA, is the first communications satellite to be dedicated to the Philippines, in partnership with regional satellite service provider Orbits Corp. Astranis is also building a second satellite for the Philippines. 

The fourth satellite is a multi-mission satellite named UtilitySat, which will support multiple customers through its life on orbit. Its first customer is Mexico’s APCO Networks, which also ordered two future satellites from Astranis.

This was a critical launch for Astranis after its first MicroGEO satellite launched in April 2023 had an issue with a solar array which stopped the satellite from fulfilling its primary mission. Astranis deployed a number of upgrades to the satellites for this four-satellite mission. 

The company has also announced a more capable GEO model called Omega and is building satellites for the U.S. Space Force’s Resilient GPS program. Astranis plans to launch over 100 satellites by 2030, the company said in Sunday’s launch broadcast.