Astranis UtilitySat

Astranis UtilitySat represents a significant evolution in the MicroGEO product family, introducing multi-mission capability to the small GEO satellite market. It is the world’s first commercial GEO satellite designed to conduct multiple fully operational broadband connectivity missions over its lifetime, shifting between operators, orbital slots, and frequency bands as market demand evolves. This makes it suitable as bridge capacity for customers awaiting dedicated satellites, an on-orbit spare, surge capacity for disaster relief, or a rapidly taskable government asset.

UtilitySat operates across standard Ku-band (12–18 GHz), Ka-band (26.5–40 GHz), and Q/V-band (33–75 GHz), with exact frequencies dialed in through Astranis’s proprietary ultra-wideband software-defined radio. The SDR enables post-launch reconfiguration of coverage, power, and frequency allocation without hardware changes. It is compatible with existing, low-cost GEO ground terminals, reducing customer infrastructure investment.

A unique dual-propulsion architecture — combining a chemical monopropellant system for rapid maneuvers and an electric ion thruster for efficient station-keeping — enables UtilitySat to relocate around the geostationary belt more than 30 times during its operational life. This level of maneuverability is unprecedented in commercial GEO satellites and gives operators the flexibility to repoint or relocate daily, monthly, or yearly to serve urgent needs.