Entertainment and connectivity provider Anuvu is now targeting a mid-2024 launch for its first two MicroGEO satellites, as it works to build-out the delayed Anuvu Constellation to deliver dedicated bandwidth to mobility customers, including in aviation.
Operating in the Ku-band, Anuvu’s first two MicroGEO satellites, manufactured by Astranis, were originally expected to launch in early 2023. That schedule slipped to late 2023/early 2024, after Astranis’ very first MicroGEO asset for Alaskan satellite communications company Pacific Dataport experienced an anomaly.
In a statement today, Anuvu said it has named the first two satellites NuView-A and NuView-B and that it’s now planning a mid-year launch.
After many years as the world’s largest lessor of geostationary satellite capacity, Anuvu is set to become a satellite operator with the launch of NuView-A and NuView-B in mid-2024, providing high-performance connectivity over North America and the Caribbean.
The duet will deliver 50 gigabits per second of additional bandwidth for the company’s global mobility network.
Anuvu counts Southwest Airlines among its clients in North America, and currently supports the inflight connectivity deployment by leasing capacity on traditional geostationary (GEO) satellites. Viasat also powers IFC at Southwest, supplying its high-capacity Ka-band GEO satellite service for the carrier’s new Boeing 737 MAX twinjets.
In contrast to traditional GEO satellites, Anuvu’s Astranis-manufactured MicroGEOs are extremely small, weighing 400kg with a dimension of just one-meter cubed. They will have a mission life of eight to ten years and allow capacity and power to be moved and optimized in-orbit using state-of-the-art software defined radios and digital channelizers, says Anuvu.
Astranis is also slated to deliver another six satellites for the Anuvu Constellation, in what may yet prove to be a mixture of Ku- and Ka-band assets. Telesat is providing the ground infrastructure for the Anuvu Constellation.
“Our mission at Anuvu is to provide seamless connectivity solutions to our mobility clients as they navigate the transition from connectivity today to a world of multiple orbits and frequency bands with the need for rapid and flexible service delivered over both,” says Anuvu EVP connectivity Mike Pigott in a statement.
“The launch of the Anuvu Constellation ensures we will continue to expertly provide connectivity to people on the move — whether that’s on aircraft, cruise ships, commercial shipping vessels, or super yachts — through satellite capacity that is targeted and highly flexible.” The company is directing journalists to its dedicated Anuvu Constellation web page.
The Anuvu Constellation is seen as a “bridge to LEO strategy” for Anuvu, which is part of a layered capacity model that will see it tap into GEO, MicroGEO and ultimately LEO satellite capacity. The company has said it favors the forthcoming Telesat Lightspeed Ka-band constellation for LEO transmissions.
In January 2023, Anuvu announced it had become an authorized global reseller of SpaceX’s Starlink’s connectivity for the maritime market. Thus far, SpaceX has opted to serve the aviation market directly with its LEO-focused inflight connectivity service.
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