Astranis successfully launches microGEO satellites, including two for Anuvu

With the launch late Saturday night of two Astranis satellites, Anuvu enters its microGEO era. Dubbed NuView-A and NuView-B, the satellites are expected to bring 50 Gbps of additional capacity into Anuvu’s mobility network, focused on boosting capacity over North America and the Caribbean, a key market for its airline customers’ inflight connectivity services.

Anuvu’s EVP Connectivity Mike Pigott is clear, however, that these satellites are just the beginning of the next generation of inflight connectivity for the company. It is still betting big on LEO services, likely partnering with Telesat as a distributor, to evolve its offering over the next decade and beyond.

At the end of the day, there’s a world where people believe LEO is going to take over everything and GEO satellites are gonna kind of go away. I don’t believe in that world. I don’t know many people who are knowledgeable about the satellite industry saying that. So the long-term strategy is still that hybrid [multi-orbit] network. We believe in being LEO-forward in that world. But we think that assets like these microGEOs are going to be really a key part of the GEO network. – Mike Pigott, EVP Connectivity, Anuvu

The new satellites do not change the offerings directly. Instead, Pigott sees them as helping to prove that the smaller satellites can deliver the performance expected in the IFC world. And then, leaning on the shorter development and launch timelines, Anuvu expects to commission additional satellites, potentially in alternate orbital planes, as its offering continues to evolve.

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Prior to the launch Pigott spoke with PaxEx.Aero about the importance of these satellites, and what they mean to the future of inflight internet service. More details from that conversation are available below for PaxEx Premium subscribers.

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More on the path to microGEO:

• Anuvu bets big on little satellites for in-flight connectivity
• Anuvu adds $50 million for MicroGEO connectivity growth
• Bridging the transition: Anuvu details connectivity roadmap
• Anuvu taps Telesat for MicroGEO gateways
• Inmarsat picks mini-GEO for L-band future
• Astranis Arcturus microGEO failure pushes back on Anuvu’s schedule
• Viasat suffers power anomaly on I6 F2
• Anuvu updates microGeo timeline, adds fun satellite names
• Astranis successfully launches microGEO satellites, including two for Anuvu
• Anuvu Activates Astranis microGEO Capacity for Aero