space

Looking To The Sky For More Reliable Internet Connections

Here's the fascinating story of a small but mighty new satellite. Employees at Astranis' headquarters in San Francisco Astranis

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While much of the world is already served effectively by fast internet service, many rural and remote regions of the planet continue to struggle.

But as the private-sector space industry continues to advance at a stunning speed, one startup company thinks satellites might be the answer.

Launching Arcturus

The company, Astranis, was particularly interested in getting internet service to people living across Alaska. And a team of specialists came up with a plan: the satellite it launched earlier this month aboard SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket.

It’s called Arcturus and is about the size of a typical kitchen stove. So far, Astranis is optimistic that it’ll achieve its fundamental goal.

Back on earth, a dedicated team has been sending commands to the satellite, which in turn communicated with an internet gateway stationed in Utah. From there, the information is set to Alaska to provide service through a provider called Pacific Dataport.

A long time coming

Astranis has been around since 2015, and its mission hasn’t really changed. From the beginning, founders John Gedmark and Ryan McLinko were determined to develop their own microsatellites in an effort to provide reliable and affordable internet connectivity.

But it was nearly a decade later before they were able to demonstrate that the technology is feasible and that the small satellites could stand up to the harsh conditions of space.

Gedmark is naturally taking a victory lap after showcasing his company’s hard work.

“It feels pretty amazing to see a big test like that and everything to go well,” he said.

Comparing it to “when Iron Man turns on his suit for the first time and powers up,” he said that “you know some pretty cool things are about to go down.”

Chris Agee
Chris Agee May 25th, 2023
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