Astranis

Astranis Space Technologies Corp., trading as Astranis, is a private American geostationary communications satellite operator and manufacturer headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded by Chief Executive Officer John Gedmark and Chief Technical Officer Ryan McLinko.

Astranis Space Technologies Corp.
Astranis
Private
IndustrySatellite Internet
FoundedOctober 20, 2015 (2015-10-20)
FoundersJohn Gedmark and Ryan McLinko
Headquarters
San Francisco, California
Key people
  • John Gedmark (Founder, CEO)
  • Ryan McLinko (Founder, CTO)
ProductsSmall geostationary communications satellites
Number of employees
100+ (2020)
Websitewww.astranis.com

In 2018, Astranis launched DemoSat-2, a prototype 3U cubesat to test the company’s Software-Defined Radio (SDR) technology for its larger communications satellites.[1] The prototype worked as expected, demonstrating broadband and HD video streaming capabilities from low-earth orbit.

Astranis came out of stealth mode with their March 2018 announcement of a $13.5 million fundraising round to support their development of smaller geostationary communications satellites led by Andreessen Horowitz.[2], marking the firm's first investment in a space company.[3]

In January 2019, Astranis announced their first commercial program, a partnership with Pacific Dataport, Inc., the largest satellite TV provider in Alaska, to triple the satellite internet capacity of Alaska by providing 7.5 Gbps of dedicated bandwidth.[4] The contract is reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars and plans to begin service in 2021,[5] using a satellite that weighs in at 350 kg, which is substantially smaller than traditional geostationary satellites.[6]

Astranis has raised over $100 million in venture capital and venture debt financing from Andreessen Horowitz, Venrock, and other investors.[5] The company was part of the Winter 2016 cohort of the Y Combinator accelerator.[7]

Demonstration Satellite

On January 12, 2018, Astranis flew its first satellite, “DemoSat 2,” on an Indian PSLV-XL rocket. DemoSat 2 was a 3U cubesat (10 cm x 10 cm x 30cm; less than 3 kg) that held an Astranis-built Software-Defined Radio (SDR) as its primary payload.[1][8][9]

Partnership with Pacific Dataport

Astranis announced a partnership with Pacific Dataport, Inc., a subsidiary of Microcom, Alaska’s largest satellite TV provider, on January 16, 2019.[10] The mission of the program is to triple the internet capacity of Alaska by launching a geostationary communications satellite dedicated to Alaska. Astranis announced in August 2019 that it had a launch contract with SpaceX with a launch window beginning in Q4 2020, implying an approximately 21-month-long development cycle for their first commercial satellite.[11]

Funding

Astranis has raised over $100 million in venture financing. [5] They closed an $13.5 million Series A equity investment led by Andreessen Horowitz on March 1, 2018, and a $90 million Series B investment on February 13, 2020 led by Venrock and with continued participation from Andreessen Horowitz.[12] The Series B financing included $40 million of equity financing and $50 million of debt financing.[13] Astranis was also part of the Winter 2016 cohort of the Y Combinator accelerator.

References
  1. "DemoSat 2". space.skyrocket.de.
  2. https://www.boldbusiness.com/digital/astranis-space-tech-to-provide-internet-access/; https://www.fastcompany.com/40537215/this-startup-astranis-says-it-has-the-most-efficient-plan-ever-for-bringing-broadband-to-billions; https://www.wired.com/story/can-these-small-satellites-solve-the-riddle-of-internet-from-space/; https://venturebeat.com/2018/03/01/andreessen-horowitz-leads-18-million-investment-in-satellite-startup-astranis/; https://fortune.com/2018/03/01/term-sheet-thursday-march-1/; https://www.businessinsider.com/astranis-raises-135-million-from-andreessen-horowitz-2018-3; https://www.geekwire.com/2018/13-5m-boost-astranis-unveils-big-plans-beam-internet-small-satellites/
  3. https://qz.com/1220073/astranis-andreesen-horowitzs-first-space-investment-is-an-internet-satellite/; https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2018/03/01/andreessen-horowitz-makes-its-first-space-investment-with-satellite-startup-astranis/#f40da4e7c3fa
  4. https://spacenews.com/astranis-lands-anchor-customer-for-its-first-small-geo-satellite/; https://www.geekwire.com/2019/astranis-pacific-dataport-team-satellite-broadband-access-alaska/; https://www.alaskajournal.com/2019-01-16/microcom-founder-launches-new-satellite-broadband-project
  5. "Exclusive: Satellite Internet startup Astranis raises $90 million". Fortune.
  6. "Astranis lands anchor customer for its first small GEO satellite". SpaceNews.com. January 16, 2019.
  7. "Y Combinator Companies". www.ycombinator.com.
  8. "TechCrunch is now a part of Verizon Media".
  9. "Startup plans to provide broadband using small GEO satellites". March 2018.
  10. "Microcom founder launches new satellite broadband project". 2019-01-17.
  11. Knapp, Alex. "Internet Startup Astranis Selects SpaceX To Launch Its First Commercial Satellite". Forbes.
  12. https://www.wsj.com/articles/astranis-raises-capital-as-it-readies-first-commercial-satellite-launch-11581639044; https://satelliteprome.com/news/microsatellite-startup-astranis-raises-90m-to-power-internet-connectivity/; https://www.venturecapitaljournal.com/venrock-leads-90-mn-round-for-astranis/; https://techcrunch.com/2020/02/13/astranis-raises-90-million-for-its-next-gen-satellite-broadband-internet-service/; http://www.parabolicarc.com/2020/02/13/astranis-raises-90-million-round-led-by-venrock/; https://satnews.com/story.php?number=1571670765; https://www.satellitetoday.com/business/2020/02/13/microsatellite-startup-astranis-raises-90m-led-by-venrock/; https://www.law360.com/telecom/articles/1243834/internet-satellite-co-says-90m-will-help-it-launch-into-space; https://news.crunchbase.com/news/satellite-startup-astranis-lands-90m/; https://fortune.com/2020/02/13/space-internet-astranis-fundraising/
  13. https://spacenews.com/astranis-raises-90-million-in-debt-and-equity-ahead-of-first-launch/; https://pitchbook.com/newsletter/astranis-raises-90m-for-satellite-internet-in-alaska; https://smallsatnews.com/2020/02/13/90-million-for-astranis-to-support-the-launch-of-the-companys-first-satellite/
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