CesiumAstro will design, build, test, launch, and operate the Element-1 spacecraft, a 600-kg LEO satellite equipped with multi-beam Ka-band and L-band active phased array payloads and a reconfigurable processing unit, in order to address the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) need for resilient, flexible, and multi-user space-to-ground communication capabilities. By the end of the project, CesiumAstro will deliver the on-orbit Element-1 system, a fully capable ground segment, completed on-orbit demonstrations, upgraded Vireo-L flight payloads, and a prototype Vireo-S payload, providing flight-validated performance data and hardware for future SDA mission integration.
