Antaris, the software platform provider for space, announced today that the first-ever satellite fully conceived, designed and manufactured using the company's end-to-end software is ready for launch. Creation of the satellite, dubbed JANUS-1, involved eight organizations spanning seven countries collaborating virtually through the Antaris cloud-based platform, which features open APIs and core open source elements.
The project was completed in just 10 months from concept to launch readiness with a cost savings of 75% over comparable satellite missions. Based on data captured during the build, Antaris anticipates that future spacecraft missions can be ready for launch in as few as six months.
"This is a tremendous moment for the space industry," said Antaris Co-Founder and CEO Tom Barton. "Satellite development has historically been slow and extremely costly because of proprietary hardware and software, excessive vertical integration and outdated interfaces, APIs and protocols. Antaris has changed all that. Our cloud-based platform has enabled constellation sponsors, satellite designers, component providers and manufacturers from across the globe to come together seamlessly and collaborate to get a satellite ready for launch in just months, not years, from start to finish. Nothing like this has ever been done before."
JANUS-1 is a 6U satellite conceived as a technical demonstration to showcase the unprecedented efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the Antaris platform and will feature five different payloads running on its SatOS™ satellite software once in orbit. XDLINX Labs and Ananth Technologies served as the primary manufacturing partners for the JANUS-1 satellite with ATLAS Space Operations providing ground station services.
"The satellite industry has historically lagged behind the tech industry in the adoption of Software-as-a-Service models," said Brad Bode, Chief Technology Officer of ATLAS Space Operations. "The Antaris SaaS platform is a long overdue approach to the design, simulation and operation of satellites and a perfect complement to our own GSaaS, or Ground Software as a Service, model. We're excited to be part of the historic JANUS-1 mission."
"Ananth Technologies is pleased to be collaborating with Antaris on this novel demonstration project, We support their mission of driving collaboration across the space economy and see tremendous potential in this new approach to satellite design and operations. The build process for JANUS-1 was highly efficient even for a complex design with multiple payload providers from around the world."
Dr. Subba Rao Pavuluri, Chairman and Managing Director of Ananth Technologies.
Antaris recently open sourced its SatOS Payload Software Development Kit (SDK), which enables users of the platform to effectively integrate payloads into SatOS-powered satellites. Additionally, Antaris released the go-satcom library to help the broader space community work with open space communications protocols.
Payload and subsystem technology providers including AICRAFT, Netra, Morpheus Space, SayariLabs Kenya, SpeQtral, Transcelestial and Zero-Error Systems (ZES) will perform internet of things (IoT) communications, advanced experimental laser communications, radio communications and machine learning (ML) inference during orbit. A virtual twin of JANUS-1 running on Antaris TrueTwin™ technology is functional today, and the physical satellite is expected to launch into orbit from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre of India under a commercial arrangement with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of Indian Space Research organization (ISRO).
About Antaris
Antaris, the software platform provider for space, exists to make space easy. Our software dramatically simplifies the design, simulation and operation of satellites to support mission success. We bring New Space thinking to an Old Space world, giving our customers maximum control and flexibility while mitigating supply chain risk to improve time-to-orbit, reduce cost and optimize engineering reuse. With investors including Lockheed Martin Ventures, Acequia, HCVC and E2MC, Antaris is revolutionizing Software for Space.