The AscendArc team. Photo: AscendArc

SLI, Space Leasing International has signed a letter of intent to purchase two Geostationary Orbit (GEO) satellites from AscendArc at a combined value of more than $200 million. 

On Wednesday, the companies announced a wider partnership in which all future AscendArc customers will have the option to lease their satellites from SLI, an aerospace asset finance specialist. The companies said this model lets operators access the technology “as operating expenditure rather than capital expenditure.”

AscendArc, which came out of stealth mode early this year, is focused on lowering the cost to Geostationary Orbit (GEO) capacity by mass-manufacturing GEO satellites with very large antennas. Its first order was with KT SAT. 

“AscendArc’s approach to design and manufacturing meaningfully improves the economics and throughput performance in GEO, delivering a cost per Mbps that stands out and aligns well with what operators are asking for. We expect operators to appreciate both the performance profile and the ability to access this technology through leasing terms that allows them to grow in a capital-efficient way and free up capital for other priorities,” SLI CEO Praveen Vetrivel commented.