CesiumAstro

CesiumAstro develops advanced communication systems for satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. The company was founded in Austin, Texas, in 2017 by Shey Sabripour, an aerospace industry veteran with over three decades of experience. Sabripour's journey began with a passion for space, leading him to earn a degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from North Dakota State University. His extensive career includes 24 years at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, where he held several leadership roles, including Director of Spacecraft Design, and was instrumental in developing the U.S. Navy's first MUOS communication satellite. Prior to establishing CesiumAstro, he served as the Chief Technology Officer at Firefly Space Systems. Sabripour's vision was to make satellite technology, particularly software-defined and agile systems, more accessible and less bespoke than traditional large-scale satellites.

The company specializes in full-stack, end-to-end hardware and software solutions, including active phased array (APA) antennas, software-defined radios (SDRs), and complete communication payloads. CesiumAstro’s core technology enables electronically steered communication beams, which allows for greater flexibility, security, and resistance to jamming compared to mechanically steered antennas. Its product portfolio includes the Nightingale SDR, the Vireo integrated multi-beam RF payload, and the Element satellite platform. The business model is centered on providing scalable, plug-and-play hardware manufactured through commercial processes, which reduces development time and cost. This approach allows CesiumAstro to serve both national security and commercial clients, including government agencies like NASA and the Department of Defense, as well as commercial space enterprises. The systems support a wide range of applications, such as inter-satellite links, high-speed data downlinks, lunar communications, and 5G/NTN networks.

Since its inception, CesiumAstro has achieved significant milestones, including a Series A funding round of $12.4 million in 2019 and a Series B+ round of $65 million in 2024, bringing its total equity raised to $156 million. The company has expanded its operations with facilities in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Japan. In 2023, it acquired TXMission, a U.K.-based developer of SDRs and modems, to broaden its technology portfolio. CesiumAstro has secured major contracts, including providing communication payloads for the Space Development Agency’s satellite constellations and developing radio units for NASA's LunaNet to support lunar navigation. Keywords: phased array antennas, software-defined radio, satellite communications, aerospace communication systems, LEO constellations, space technology, active phased array, communication payloads, inter-satellite links, space hardware, UAV communications, Ka-band, RF electronics, space-based connectivity, New Space, high-throughput satellites, airborne platforms, satellite payloads, defense communications, lunar navigation