By John Gedmark, Astranis Co-founder and CEO

San Francisco is currently hosting dozens of world leaders at the APEC Conference, where I had the chance to sit down with Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., the President of the Philippines.

At the event, President Marcos and I announced that Astranis will dramatically accelerate our partnership with Orbits Corp and bring not one, but two internet satellites to the Philippines: one on Astranis’s next launch, set for Q1 of 2024, and the second on the previously-announced launch to follow later in 2024.

The President announced that he is naming the new satellite “AGILA,” the name of the Filipino national bird, the “Great Philippine Eagle.”

Expanding our Philippines program to include an additional Astranis MicroGEO satellite means that Orbits Corp will be able to double the number of people that it connects in the most remote islands of the Philippines. Millions of people, many of whom live on less than $5,000 per year, will be able to connect to the internet as a direct result. Orbits Corp estimates that this two-satellite program will bring up to 10,000 direct and indirect jobs to the Philippines, accelerating economic growth and jumpstarting economic development in many of the smallest and most remote communities in the fast-growing nation.

This partnership is only possible due to the continued focus of the Marcos Administration on expanding access to affordable connectivity throughout the Philippines. The President has made connectivity a major focus, and has launched multiple successful programs focused on bringing free Wi-Fi and better internet infrastructure to every Filipino community.