The geostationary belt is getting a new kind of watchdog, and it comes from a company better known for beaming broadband.
Astranis, the San Francisco satellite maker, said Aug. 13 that its Perceptor spacecraft will carry observation and inspection sensors on its microGEO bus, with electric thrusters to reposition across the belt. Several Perceptors could coordinate on a target, approaching from different lines of sight so a satellite under watch has no blind spot to exploit.
Chief executive John Gedmark cast the craft as dual-use, useful for government reconnaissance and commercial missions alike. He warned that unmonitored stretches of geostationary orbit will be used against the United States, pointing to China and other nations fielding spacecraft that can drift near the communications and missile-warning satellites the U.S. military depends on.
The company says it built Perceptor after finding existing space domain awareness tools inadequate for geostationary operations. Astranis is already positioned inside the market’s acquisition pipeline, having been chosen in April among 14 firms eligible for task orders under the Space Force’s Andromeda contract vehicle.
The move pitches Astranis into a crowded field of surveillance startups, though the company argues its low-cost microGEO production line gives it an advantage on price and speed. No launch date for the first Perceptor has been announced.
