Astranis has upgraded to a dedicated Falcon 9 to launch its fourth batch of satellites. It expects to launch six MicroGEO satellites on a dedicated mission in 2028, injected directly to Geostationary Orbit (GEO) using an Impulse Space Helios upper stage.
Astranis upgraded a contract previously signed with SpaceX in late 2024 to give the company all payload capacity on the mission, the company announced Monday.
The company reports it has signed a number of initial customers for the launch who have not been announced yet.
This “Block 4” mission will launch Astranis satellites 11 through 16.
Astranis launched a dedicated Falcon 9 mission in late 2024 and is preparing for the Block 3 launch in the first quarter of 2027. Block 3’s current customer manifest is Thaicom, Chunghwa Telecom, Apco Networks, MB Group, and stc group.
“We’ve only just begun to ramp up production to meet the demand we are seeing for commercial and national security missions,” John Gedmark, CEO and co-founder of Astranis said in a statement. “This launch means we can accelerate the critical infrastructure we’re building for customers in GEO and other higher orbits.”
