Portland, OR – [Date] – AscendArc, a leading innovator in satellite communications, has secured $3.95 million in pre-seed and seed funding. The funding round includes a number of prominent investors including Seraphim Space, Everywhere Ventures, Portland Seed Fund, Thermo, and Hunter Communications. This funding will accelerate AscendArc’s groundbreaking work in transforming satellite communications for both the U.S. military and commercial sectors.
In addition to the funding announcement, AscendArc has been awarded a prestigious $1.8M Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) contract, granted by the Air Force’s AFWERX program. This will enable the company to advance its “Rapid, Scalable Geosynchronous Bandwidth” technology – a game-changing approach aimed at dramatically improving high-bandwidth satellite communications.
AscendArc was founded by Chris McLain with the aim to fundamentally change the economics of the satellite communications industry by designing and manufacturing low incremental cost, rapidly deployed, high bandwidth, volume produced, small geostationary satellites.
Chris has a wealth of experience in the satellite communications industry, having previously worked as a Principal Engineer at SpaceX, and has learned from decades of experience developing Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satcom solutions at Boeing, Lockheed and Panasonic.
AscendArc’s unique and innovative technology creates scalable, resilient clusters of geostationary satellites, which maintain their position above a set point on Earth as it rotates. This allows AscendArc to develop cheaper satellites that can provide continuous coverage to earth in comparison to satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), which require large constellations where satellites spend most of their time over uninhabited areas.
The result is a tenfold improvement in cost per Mbps, providing a faster, more cost-effective alternative to traditional, monolithic high-cost satellites, whilst also providing a cheaper alternative to terrestrial microwave and fibre deployments in rural areas. The technology is also adaptable to U.S. military frequency bands, telemetry encryption, and anti-jamming requirements, positioning AscendArc as a key player in meeting the Department of Defence’s (DoD) critical communications needs whilst maintaining levels of security that may prove challenging for other third-party operators
The newly secured funding will allow AscendArc to further develop its technology toward production readiness, expand its team and manufacturing capabilities, and enhance the design and hardware qualification processes.
“This funding and our official emergence from stealth mode represent a major milestone for AscendArc,” said Chris McLain, Founder and President of AscendArc. “We are excited to continue our innovative work with AFWERX and Portland State University, applying our technology to provide scalable, cost-effective solutions that address the U.S. military’s growing demands for advanced satellite systems.”
With the Phase II STTR contract, AscendArc will collaborate with Portland State University to refine and adapt its technology for US Department of Defence applications. The company is poised to support critical communications missions for a wide range of government customers, while establishing itself as a leading force in the satellite communications industry.
“We are thrilled to see AscendArc step out of stealth and continue pushing the boundaries of satellite communications,” said [Seraphim Representative Name]. “Their innovative approach holds the potential not only to revolutionize commercial satellite communications – providing even lower cost satellites for the commercial market – but also to provide crucial solutions for countries national security.”
As the company moves forward, AscendArc remains focused on scaling its satellite communications solutions for both commercial and defence applications, shaping the future of space-based connectivity.
About AscendArc
AscendArc is a next-generation satellite communications company specializing in scalable, high-bandwidth solutions for space and defence applications. With a focus on cost-effective, resilient, and rapidly deployable technologies, AscendArc is shaping the future of satellite communications with a unique approach to geostationary satellite clusters.
