Astranis adds Oman customer to summer GEO launch lineup

TAMPA, Fla. — Oman-based industrial conglomerate MB Group has ordered a small geostationary broadband satellite from Astranis that is slated to launch this summer.

Astranis CEO John Gedmark said Jan. 26 the California-based company signed a nine-figure contract with MB, part of a $200 million investment covering the satellite, ground stations and other connectivity infrastructure to support Oman’s efforts to diversify its economy beyond oil and gas.

It will join four other Block 3 satellites due to launch together on a dedicated SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket: two for Mexico’s Apco Networks and one each for Thailand’s Thaicom and Chunghwa Telecom of Taiwan.

Previously, Astranis planned to deploy a second satellite for Orbits Corp of the Philippines as part of Block 3.

“We work with our customers to shift satellites from one upcoming launch to another depending on their timing needs,” an Astranis spokesperson said. “This kind of flexibility is one of the benefits of working with Astranis.”

Orbits Corp’s debut spacecraft, part of four Block 2 satellites that launched in December 2024, recently entered service.

“The first satellite for the Philippines successfully passed all testing, is performing beautifully on orbit and we’ll have more to share on that soon,” the Astranis spokesperson added.

The company has not provided an update on thruster issues that affected the orbit raising of UtilitySat, which unlike other satellites in Block 2 or those in Block 3 has Ku-, Q- and V-band transponders in addition to Ka-band.

Oman’s space expansion

The announcement comes two months after Space Communication Technologies, Oman’s state-backed operator, said it had picked Airbus for its first Ka-band broadband satellite.

OmanSat-1 will be based on the European company’s multi-ton OneSat platform, closer in scale to a school bus than to the dishwasher-sized Astranis spacecraft designed for regional coverage.

Airbus is slated to deliver OmanSat-1 in September 2028, according to a local report, meaning the Astranis satellite is set to be Oman’s first broadband spacecraft in orbit.

Oman marked its entry into the space sector in 2024 with the launch of OL-1, a remote-sensing optical satellite developed jointly by China and local startup Oman Lens.

The country is also developing a spaceport that aims to be ready as soon as next year to support the launch of a small rocket operated by Spain’s PLD Space.

Astranis said its contract with MB will provide the country with sovereign control over its digital infrastructure.

“We’re entering a new era of satellite connectivity with Astranis,” said MB vice chairman Usama Al Barwani said in a statement.

“This strategic collaboration supports Oman Vision 2040 to deliver resilient, high-performance infrastructure necessary for a digital-first country, empowering our government, our enterprises, and our people. 

“For MB Group it marks our continued journey not only in diversification of the group but to embrace cutting-edge technology. Harnessing these wider opportunities through using AI tools from global IoT monitoring to uninterrupted in flight streaming.”