Astronomy Prints 🌌: Editor's choice: Rethinking the size of what's in GEO

Wednesday, August 27, 2025

Editor's choice: Rethinking the size of what's in GEO

08/27/2025

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By Mike Gruss

As low Earth orbit fills with thousands of new satellites, a slow rethinking of geostationary orbit is taking place.

Consider this factoid: Just six commercial GEO communication satellite orders were placed in 2024, according to Novaspace — the lowest number in two decades. Half of those were for small GEO satellites. That's down for 15-20 satellites a year a decade ago.

And the change is not just commercial communication satellites. The Space Force is shifting its thinking too.

In July, Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, the Space Force's top acquisition official, said

rather than having a few "exquisite" satellites, the Space Force plans to deploy large numbers of smaller, less expensive spacecraft for its next-generation space surveillance constellation in geostationary orbit.

The service will follow a similar pattern for an upcoming communications constellation.

Those changes may drive interest in a recent Q&A SpaceNews' Jason Rainbow published with John Gedmark, co-founder and CEO of Astranis.

Jason Rainbow: As LEO constellations expand and more nations seek sovereign satcom capabilities, how do you see the role of small GEO evolving over the next five years? Is this segment gaining traction or getting squeezed?

John Gedmark: We've seen enormous demand for what we're providing — from many dozens to now hundreds of these satellites — and demand is only increasing as governments, entire nations and commercial customers with stringent requirements for uptime, data security, network visibility, and customization choose dedicated systems from Astranis.

Does Astranis see itself remaining focused on GEO, or could the company expand into other orbits or services as the market evolves?

JG: We're solely focused on high orbits — anything above LEO, with GEO being our specialty. That means MEO, GEO, Cislunar, HEO, and more.

Read the full interview.

SIGNIFICANT DIGIT

8

That's the mission tally for the X-37B, the U.S. Space Force's secretive spaceplane built by Boeing. Most recently, the spaceplane launched Aug. 21 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

A Rocket Lab Electron launches five satellites for a confidential commercial customer Aug. 23. Credit: Rocket Lab

UNDISCLOSED CUSTOMERS

A Rocket Lab Electron rocket placed five satellites for an undisclosed commercial customer into orbit Aug. 23. It marked the second time this year, Rocket Lab did not disclose the identity of the customer for the launch, calling it only a "confidential commercial customer. It also ended its launch webcast earlier than normal without disclosing payload details.

Rocket Lab conducted a similar launch for a confidential customer June 28. Tracking data from the U.S. Space Force later identified that satellite as Lyra-4, a smallsat for EchoStar for a planned Internet of Things constellation in low Earth orbit.

Rocket Lab said at the time of the June launch that this was the first of two launches for that customer, with the second scheduled for later in the year.

Trending This Week

The U.S. Space Force is preparing to launch the first satellites intended to provide communications services from a low Earth orbit military constellation. One general called it a "make or break" moment.

The British government announced plans to fold the UK Space Agency into the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology — and that may not be great for visibility into spending.

United Launch Alliance is leaning more into reusability.

Amentum has started operations at the nation's space launch ranges after Jacobs Technology dropped its legal challenge on the Space Force Range Contract, a 10-year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity deal worth up to $4 billion.

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