Stara Relay Constellation

Stara’s Relay Constellation is a network of small, low-cost satellites designed to let other satellite operators securely relay data back to Earth without building their own ground and relay infrastructure. The system targets gigabytes of throughput per orbit, giving small and mid-size satellite operators near real-time downlink capability that was previously only available to large, well-capitalized operators with dedicated ground station networks. The constellation is architected so operators can request data transfer through Stara’s ground software, effectively turning satellite communications into a subscription service rather than a capital project. The approach was validated on Stara’s NOOR-1A/1B path-finder mission, which demonstrated encrypted low-Earth-orbit intersatellite links and third-party data-transfer requests in orbit.