Mechanical Associate Engineer - Summer 2027

Astranis unveils perceptor, an SDA product for GEO. Thursday August 13, 2026 Waxing Crescent Payload in your inbox. In-depth research, exclusive data, and expert analysis on the business and policy of space. Get ahead of the competition.

New private 'Perceptor' probes will keep an eye on satellites high above Earth. Published 3 hours ago "There are blind spots that will be used against us if not eliminated." Satellites high above Earth may soon have fewer places to hide. San Francisco-based company Astranis announced today (Aug. 13) that it's developing a line of spacecraft called Perceptor, which will keep an eye on satellite activity in geostationary orbit (GEO). GEO lies 22,236 miles (35,786 kilometers) above Earth, an altitude at which orbital speed matches our planet's rotational velocity. It's therefore a popular destination for communications, weather and reconnaissance spacecraft - and, increasingly, an arena for off-Earth spying, as space powers seek to keep tabs on their competitors' activities. SpaceX launches secret US spy satellite - nails landing in Florida A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched the NROL-95 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on July 30, 2026. Credit: SpaceX 0 seconds of 8 minutes, 59 seconds Volume 0% Astranis currently operates five satellites in this distant orbital realm, which "support the U.S. military, bring connectivity to remote areas and provide critical capabilities like GPS," according to the company's website. It plans to leverage and extend this expertise with Perceptor, helping the U.S. government and other potential customers learn more about what's happening high above our heads. The new line will be based on Astranis' "MicroGEO" satellite platform, so named because it's smaller than typical GEO craft. "Astranis provides mission-critical infrastructure for strategic higher orbits. What we found is our means to detect and respond to emerging threats to this infrastructure are sorely lacking," John Gedmark, Astranis' CEO and co-founder, said in a statement today. "There are blind spots that will be used against us if not eliminated," he added. "With Perceptor, we're meeting the increasing demand for security in GEO with our proven on-orbit platform and ability to produce at scale." Perceptor spacecraft will sport a variety of sensors, which will allow them to take the measure of other satellites and their broader GEO surroundings. "Multi-angle flybys can assess spacecraft capabilities, help troubleshoot anomalies on friendly spacecraft, and provide additional eyes in a domain where awareness has historically been limited," Astranis' statement reads. Each Perceptor will also be highly maneuverable, using electric propulsion "to traverse the full GEO arc, repositioning dozens of times over its mission lifetime," company representatives added. The statement does not provide a target timeline for the first Perceptor missions. But the need for such a capability already exists, as the activities of certain Russian and Chinese satellites show. In 2020, for example, officials with the U.S. Space Force announced that two Russian spacecraft got within 100 miles (160 kilometers) of an American spy satellite, behavior the branch's then-chief described as "unusual and disturbing." And, in 2023, experts announced that China's TJS-3 GEO spacecraft had taken close looks at USA 233 and USA 298, both of which are thought to be Space Force spy satellites. Spaceflight and Tech Editor Michael Wall is the Spaceflight and Tech Editor for Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers human and robotic spaceflight, military space, and exoplanets, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.

Swiss satellite maker SWISSto12 secures $70M Series C for multiorbit push. July 16, 2026 * SWISSto12 raised $70 million in a Series C round just days after securing $84.8 million from ESA member states, bringing together private and government funding simultaneously. * The Renens-based satellite company reached positive EBITDA in 2026, earned $140 million in revenue in 2025, and has grown at a 110% annual rate since 2022. This level of profitability is unusual for a space hardware startup at this point. * The company now has over $500 million in signed contracts, seven HummingSat GEO deals with operators like SES and Viasat, and more than 2,000 HummingLink payloads already in orbit. Most space hardware startups raise money because they are losing money, but SWISSto12 raised $70 million in a Series C round while staying profitable. The company did not name the individual investors or disclose its post-money valuation, but confirmed that both new and returning investors participated. The Renens-based satellite and payload maker confirmed it reached positive EBITDA in 2026, had $140 million in revenue in 2025, and grew at a 110% annual rate since 2022. SWISSto12 was founded in 2011 as a spin-off from Switzerland's EPFL by Emile de Rijk. It is headquartered in Renens near Lausanne, with additional offices in the US and EMEA. The company employs approximately 224 people. What SWISSto12 builds. SWISSto12 has two main products: HummingSat, a small geostationary satellite that is about one-tenth the size of regular GEO satellites, and HummingLink, which are multi-orbit payloads and antennas placed on other companies' satellites in LEO, MEO, and GEO. Both products use the company's patented 3D-printing process for RF hardware, making them lighter and faster to produce than traditional parts. For example, a HummingSat can be launched alongside a bigger satellite, so operators can add regional capacity without needing a full satellite bus. This strategy has appealed to established operators instead of trying to replace them. SWISSto12 has signed seven HummingSat contracts, including deals with SES and Viasat, which are markets usually dominated by big companies like Boeing, Airbus, or Thales Alenia Space. The closest direct competitor is Astranis, a US company that makes similar small GEO satellites and has raised about $1.2 billion so far, including a $300 million Series E and a $155 million debt round. Astranis mainly works with US government and defence contracts, while SWISSto12 focuses on commercial telecom operators and European government programs. This makes SWISSto12 more similar to its Finnish competitor, ReOrbit, which also targets European government and defence markets. A sovereign and private capital combination. The Series C round came after SWISSto12 recently received $84.8 million from ESA member states, including Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Norway, and Canada, through the HummingSat ARTES partnership project. Together, these two rounds brought in over $150 million in new capital in just one month. This pattern, with government support followed soon after by a private funding round, is also seen elsewhere in the European space sector. For example, ICEYE is seeking a valuation above €2.4 billion as demand for satellite intelligence grows. The new funding will help the company increase its manufacturing and integration capacity to keep up with rising demand from both commercial and government customers. This includes HummingLink's multi-orbit payloads and the HummingSat line. Over 2,000 HummingLink units are already in use on missions in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Fredrik Gustavsson, SWISSto12's chief financial and strategy officer, says, "The financial picture at SWISSto12 is robust and primed for global growth. $140 million in revenue for 2025, more than $500 million in customer contracts, and a 110% compound annual growth rate since 2022. These are the signals of an agile business, deploying capital efficiently, and operating at scale in a fast-growing industry. This Series C accelerates us further to meet strong demand from a space, satellite and telecommunications market that's evolving and growing at pace." De Rijk emphasises the breadth of the company's offerings: "In this expanding market, our solutions across payload and satellite lines are creating significant new opportunities for customers. Our products are supporting exciting new customer missions - from direct-to-device connectivity to media broadcasting, intersatellite data relays or sovereign communications infrastructure - many of which span multiple orbits." Why the market matters. The multi-orbit satellite communications market that SWISSto12 is targeting was worth $7.8 billion in 2025 and is expected to grow to $31.6 billion by 2035, with a 14.8% annual growth rate. Most of this growth comes from government and defence buyers who want reliable communications that do not depend on just one orbit or operator. It is still unclear if offering any payload, any platform, any orbit gives SWISSto12 a real edge or is just a way to cover its bases. GEO order volumes have dropped across the industry as LEO constellations take over more broadband and maritime contracts. SWISSto12 is working on both the shrinking GEO replacement market and the growing multi-orbit defence market. In the end, whether this two-pronged approach beats better-funded, defence-focused rivals like Astranis may matter more than the fundraising itself.