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San Francisco-based geostationary communications satellite operator and manufacturer Astranis Space Technologies announced on February 14, that they won a U.S. Space Force contract worth up to $10 million to integrate the U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD) Protected Tactical Waveform (PTW) using Astranis satellite assets.
The Phase III Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract con 
U.S. Space Force awards Phase III SBIR contract to Astranis
by Staff Writers
San Francisco (SPX) Feb 16, 2023
San Francisco-based geostationary communications satellite operator and manufacturer Astranis Space Technologies announced on February 14, that they won a U.S. Space Force contract worth up to $10 million to integrate the U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD) Protected Tactical Waveform (PTW) using Astranis satellite assets.
The Phase III Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract consists of a $4.5 million award to implement the Protected Tactical Waveform using the existing Astranis Software-Defined Radio satellite payload and comes with a $6 million option for an on-orbit demonstration.
PTW is a government waveform used by the military to transmit voice and data.
Astranis manufactures small geostationary satellites as a lower-cost alternative to traditional GEO spacecraft like those used by large satellite operators and by the U.S. military.
According to Astranis' CEO John Gedmark, they got the contract 46 days after Space Force Lt. Gen. Michael Guetlein visited Astranis' facility in San Francisco.
"This speed-to-contract speaks volumes to the U.S. Space Force's improvements in their efforts to find ways to work with commercial companies like Astranis, and to their desire to drive towards the goal of resilience on orbit," Gedmark wrote in a Medium post.
Astranis' first MicroGEO satellite, named Arcturus, is projected to launch in summer 2023 as a secondary payload alongside the first ViaSat-3 satellite atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy from Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
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