BEE CAVE, Texas (KXAN) — CesiumAstro, an Austin-based space communications company, is expanding its mission in the Bee Cave area.
The company builds and designs hardware for satellite communications. According to a June 15 Austin Chamber of Commerce Release, the communication systems are used across space, airborne platforms, on the ground and for sea missions.
In 2017, the company launched out of Bee Cave, Texas.
“Our company first started out of a coffee shop,” said Shey Sabripour, CEO of CesiumAstro.
Sabripour leads the missions at CesiumAstro. The company first started with just three employees. Now a sea of 80 scientists, engineers and programs have joined. It’s a number Sabripour expects to double by 2022.
“We now live in a world where humans and machines are connected,” said Sabripour.
Right now, millions of Americans go without access to high-speed internet, especially in rural areas. One solution to this problem is connecting people from above through Low-Earth orbit satellites.
“This Low-Earth Orbit technology requires a different kind of communications technology,” said Sabripour. “It requires both our systems on Earth and the ones in space to point the beams at each other and track each other.”
CesiumAstro helps build the pieces to this world connectivity puzzle.
Currently Cesium operates out of a 10,000 square foot facility in the Hill County Galleria, but soon the company’s engineering and corporate functions will move down the road to a new 29,000 square foot facility.
CesiumAstro reports an employee growth rate that has exceeded 250% since early 2020, which means the company is hiring to bring in more high-level engineers and business administration professionals to the Austin area.
“Our team rapidly expanded throughout the pandemic, in part, due to the incredible talent looking to make Austin their home,” Sabripour said. “Austin is known as a technology and innovation hub, allowing companies such as CesiumAstro to attract the very best engineers and business professionals on the market. We appreciate the Austin Chamber’s vision and support as we grow within the region.”
The company recently announced the launch of its first mission to space, Cesium Mission 1, which will take place this September.
“Innovative companies like CesiumAstro demonstrate how diverse the Austin region’s business community is,” Charisse Bodisch, Austin Chamber senior vice president of economic development, said. “We’re thrilled to have someone in the space industry call Austin home and excited to see their rapid expansion in the coming months.”
