San Francisco-based satellite maker Astranis unveiled Perceptor on August 13, a new spacecraft built on its existing microGEO platform that is designed to observe and inspect other satellites rather than carry communications payloads. Perceptor uses electric propulsion to reposition itself repeatedly across the geostationary arc, and multiple units can work together so operators can view a target spacecraft from several angles at once, making it harder to evade.
The move expands Astranis beyond broadband into space domain awareness, the military term for tracking and characterizing objects in orbit. "There are blind spots that will be used against us if not eliminated," said co-founder and CEO John Gedmark, pointing to growing concern over Chinese and other nations' maneuvering spacecraft near U.S. military communications and missile-warning satellites in GEO.
Astranis' microGEO satellites weigh only a few hundred kilograms, far lighter than traditional multi-ton geostationary craft, which lets it build and launch them faster and cheaper. The company was one of 14 selected by the U.S. Space Force in April for the Andromeda contract competition and raised a $450 million funding round in May 2026. No timeline has been set for the first Perceptor missions.