Current News

Astranis Satellite Built for Alaska Completes Critical TVAC Test on First Attempt

Press Release from Astranis

SPACEREF

December 15, 2021

Astranis announced today the successful completion of thermal vacuum (TVAC) testing for its first commercial MicroGEO satellite which is set to launch into orbit over Alaska in spring of next year. The satellite is earmarked for Pacific Dataport Inc. (PDI), a satellite middle mile provider headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska.

Past News

OneWeb Completes its ‘Five to 50’ Mission to Cover Regions North of 50 Degrees Latitude including UK, Canada, Alaska and Arctic Region

Press Release

OneWeb

July 1, 2021

OneWeb, the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communications company, today announced the successful launch of another 36 satellites to mark the completion of its ‘Five to 50’ mission. With this major milestone, the Company is ready to deliver connectivity across the United Kingdom, Canada, Alaska, Northern Europe, Greenland, and the Arctic Region.

Microcom and Pacific Dataport prepared to offer broadband coverage to all of Alaska this year with final OneWeb satellite launch

Press Release

Pacific Dataport

July 1, 2021

Anchorage, AK – Alaska-owned Pacific Dataport and Microcom are excited to take the next step toward providing broadband access to all of Alaska after today’s successful launch by Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite internet company OneWeb.

First Astranis satellite in final phase of assembly

Jeff Foust

SpaceNews

July 8, 2021

WASHINGTON — Astranis announced that the first in its line of very small geostationary orbit satellites is entering its final assembly phase for launch in early 2022.

The San Francisco-based company said July 8 that the communications payload for the satellite it’s building for Pacific Dataport Inc. (PDI), called Arcturus, passed an end-to-end test that shows it exceeded its expected performance. That allows the company to move into the final phases of assembly of the satellite, to launch in early 2022 on a SpaceX Falcon 9.

Pacific Dataport Signed a Strategic Agreement Estimated at Over $5 Million with Gilat for Delivery of Ubiquitous Broadband Coverage in Alaska

Press Release

Pacific Dataport

August 2, 2021

Gilat’s multi-service platform will support the goal of PDI’s Aurora Network to deliver a wide range of applications to the population of Alaska

OneWeb Reveals New Briefcase-Sized OW1 Terminal

Jeffrey Hill

ViaSatellite

August 24, 2021

Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation operator OneWeb unveiled a new user terminal on Tuesday that it developed with partners Intellian Technologies and Collins Aerospace.

Hybrid Satellite Middle Mile GEO HTS and LEO
What is Hybrid Satellite Middle Mile?
PDI - Aurora Hybrid Satellite Middle Mil[...]
Adobe Acrobat document [3.7 MB]

LEO/GEO Hybrid Broadband
Economic and technological benefits of utilizing LEO and GEO satellite systems in tandem
PDI LEO:GEO Hybrid Demo 10-9-2020.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [355.3 KB]

Latency
What is latency and why it is not a problem
PDI Paper on Latency.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [96.5 KB]

SPI White Paper on GEOs and LEOs
Comparison of GEOs and LEOs, and the Planned Aurora IV and OneWeb Systems, for Alaska
SPI White Paper on GEOs and LEOs.Final.3[...]
Adobe Acrobat document [287.0 KB]