TAMPA, Fla. — Astranis is moving its debut satellite to a geostationary position over Asia after a malfunction last year derailed plans to beam broadband to Alaska, the Californian manufacturer said Feb. 27.
Arcturus set off Feb. 1 and should arrive by the middle of March, Astranis CEO John Gedmark told SpaceNews, where it will spend three months to satisfy Israeli operator Spacecom’s reservation for the orbital slot under international regulatory rules.
The companies did not disclose the orbital slot, Spacecom’s plans for the position, or the operator’s so-called Bring-into-Use deadline with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), an arm of the United Nations.
Financial details about the arrangement are also undisclosed.
Spacecom currently operates four satellites providing broadcast and broadband services over parts of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia: Two at four degrees West, one at 17 degrees East, and another at 65 degrees East.
Successfully securing a new position that would extend the operator’s reach into Asia would be “a pivotal milestone for Spacecom,” its CEO Dan Zajicek said in an emailed statement without elaborating.
Repurposed mission
Helping an operator secure orbital rights is a very different mission than what Astranis had initially envisaged for the 400-kilogram, dishwasher-sized satellite, launched April 30 as a secondary payload on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.
The failure of two onboard solar array drive assemblies shortly after launch means Arcturus is unable to keep solar arrays pointed at the sun for consistent power.
Astranis can only get six to 12 hours of service a day from Arcturus — not enough for an earlier plan to lease the spacecraft to Pacific Dataport so the Alaskan telco could provide at least 7.5 gigabits per second (Gbps) of regional throughput in Ka-band.
But the satellite is otherwise in good health, according to Gedmark, and has the maneuverability…
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