Astranis has unveiled a new solution designed for warfighters and first responders: Astranis Vanguard—a fully air-gapped, rapidly deployable network powered by a dedicated satellite. Developed in collaboration with Persistent Systems, Kymeta, and Satcube, Vanguard delivers secure, mission-ready connectivity when and where it matters most. This capability has already been demonstrated using an operational, on-orbit satellite asset, validating its readiness for real-world deployment.
Astranis Vanguard offers both defense and commercial customers the ability to quickly and easily spin up a resilient, self-forming network capable of voice, video, and broadband data. For defense missions, Vanguard allows operators to sustain command-and-control and situational awareness in austere or contested environments. Dismounted or mounted teams can deploy mobile terminals to extend connectivity beyond line-of-sight, all without reliance on a central hub or existing infrastructure.
For commercial and public safety users, Vanguard offers a method to rapidly restore or extend coverage. First responders can stand up connectivity within minutes after severe weather or wildfires, enabling push-to-talk, live drone feeds, and data sharing for incident command. And industrial operators in the energy, mining, rail, and maritime industries can use the system to link remote crews and equipment where cellular access is sparse or unavailable.
The live demonstration proved out this capability with:
- an operational Astranis satellite in geostationary orbit (GEO), with connectivity managed using the satellite’s onboard software-defined radio
- a Mobile Ad-Hoc Network (MANET) with Persistent Systems MPU5 broadband radios, using that network to share video feeds, comms, and IP traffic
- Flat-panel user terminals by Satcube (for communications on the pause) and Kymeta (for communications on-the-move), connecting directly to the Astranis satellite to provide backhaul and extend the network beyond line of sight
This is real equipment that is already deployed all over the world with warfighters, first responders, and a wide array of enterprise customers. In industries that care about mobility and security, like oil & gas. Astranis Vanguard is a big deal. It’s a capability that customers have long asked the company for. It was only made possible due to the collaboration with Kymeta, Persistent Systems, and Satcube, and Astranis is excited to roll it out to their existing and future customers.
