Update December 21, 12:22 a.m. EST (0522 UTC): SpaceX has encountered a pad abort; postponed to start on Sunday.

A rare pad abort forced SpaceX to abandon the launch of four MicroGEO satellites into geosynchronous transfer orbit for California-based Astranis.

SpaceX did not give a reason for the cancellation, but said in a post on social media that they would instead postpone the launch to Sunday.

The mission, titled “Astranis: From One to Many,” involves the company’s UtilitySat, which is designed to move within geostationary Earth orbit over its lifetime to respond to various mission objectives. It will launch together with three other satellites.

Launch from Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is scheduled for December 22 at 00:00 EST (05:00 UTC). Spaceflight Now’s live broadcast begins about an hour before launch.



Shortly before the launch opportunity, the 45th Weather Squadron predicted a greater than 95 percent chance of favorable weather for launch Friday evening. The launch weather officials did not express any specific concerns during the first launch that would prevent the launch from a meteorological perspective.

“An extensive area of ​​high pressure over the central United States will bring northwesterly flows and drier air to the Cape on Friday and Saturday,” forecasters wrote in their forecast. “Although the likelihood of a violation is slightly higher on the backup day due to the low probability of the flight violating the Cumulus Cloud rule, favorable weather is expected for both launch windows.”

With Sunday’s launch, the weather is 95 percent favorable, with cumulus clouds the only potential observation point at launch. Meteorologists also indicate that wind shear will be low to moderate at upper elevations.

The Falcon 9 first stage booster for this launch, tail number B1077 in the SpaceX fleet, will launch for the 17th time. His previous missions included Crew-5, GPS 3 Space Vehicle 06 and CRS-28.

Just under 8.5 minutes after launch, B1077 will land on the SpaceX drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas,” stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. If successful, this would be the 91st booster landing on ASOG and the 387th booster landing to date.

Small package, big mission

The four satellites aboard the Falcon 9 are called MicroGEO satellites because they are each about the size of a washing machine. They were built at Astranis’ Pier 70 facilities in San Francisco, California and are designed to last approximately eight to ten years.

Two of the satellites, NuView Alpha and NuView Bravo, will serve Anuvu’s air and marine customers. The agreement between Anuvu, formerly known as Global Eagle Entertainment, and Astranis was announced back in July 2021 and will serve the North America and Caribbean regions.

“We want to expand our connectivity network in a way that is scalable and agile for our mobility customers,” Anuvu CEO Josh Marks said in a 2021 press release. “Astranis and its MicroGEO satellites provide Anuvu customers with decades of freedom Contracts or outdated legacy systems. Most importantly, they come to market quickly, have a service life of seven to 10 years, and can be controlled and updated from the ground, allowing our mobility customers to adapt their business model as new technologies are introduced.”

Anuvu ordered the two satellites to launch on Friday (originally scheduled for launch in “early 2023”), in addition to six more to be added in the future.



Friday’s launch will also carry a satellite called “AGILA,” named after the national bird of the Philippines. It is the first of two satellites to be delivered to this country through a partnership with Orbits Corp. serve.

“Orbits Corp will be able to double the number of people it connects across the Philippines’ most remote islands,” Astranis founder and CEO John Gedmark wrote in a November 2023 blog post. “Millions of people, from many of whom live on less than $5,000 a year will be able to connect to the Internet as a direct result.

“Orbits Corp estimates that this two-satellite program will create up to 10,000 direct and indirect jobs in the Philippines, accelerate economic growth and stimulate economic development in many of the smallest and most remote communities in the fast-growing country.”

GEO mobility

The final satellite on board the mission is called “UtilitySat” and will initially be used to serve Astranis customer Apco Networks, an internet service provider, in Mexico.

This is the first of two MicroGEO satellites sold to the company, which has the ability to “connect up to five million people,” Gedmark said in a 2023 blog post.

“Some of our employees at Astranis come from Mexico, some from small communities where connectivity is very poor or non-existent,” he said. “As they told us, and as we discovered through further research, the need for better connectivity in Mexico is obvious – more than 30 percent of the country today does not have internet access, and satellite is often the only way to get connected.” rural communities scattered across the rugged, mountainous terrain of Mexico’s 32 states.

“And the country itself is focused on improving the availability of satellite internet. Connectivity is a constitutional right in Mexico and the President has made connectivity a national priority.”

UtilitySat differs from the other three satellites in this mission in that it is designed to adjust its orbital position and support a different mission than the original one when launched.

“UtilitySat is the world’s first commercial multi-mission GEO satellite capable of conducting fully operational broadband connectivity missions in the Ka, Ku and Q/V bands,” Astranis wrote on its website. “UtilitySat is a fully maneuverable, on-board powered satellite and will conduct multiple such missions throughout its life in orbit – relocating or realigning every year, month or day to meet urgent customer needs.”

The company said it plans to launch “a fleet of UtilitySat satellites in the coming years.”

We are pleased to announce UtilitySat, the world’s first multi-mission geostationary satellite, which we will launch later this year.

This is a first of its kind. And a new product line – providing on-demand connectivity for disaster relief, bridge capacity and other operations.… pic.twitter.com/8tJS5fDPcE

— John Gedmark (@Gedmark) August 9, 2023