WASHINGTON — Astranis, a San Francisco–based operator of small geostationary communications satellites, announced March 12 that retired U. S. Air Force Gen.
Hyten is a former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and spent much of his career overseeing military space programs, including as commander of Air Force Space Command. He has been a prominent critic of the Pentagon's traditional approach to satellite architecture, which relies on a limited number of large, highly capable spacecraft.
While serving as head of U. S. Strategic Command, Hyten warned that such satellites could become "big, fat, juicy targets" for adversaries developing anti-satellite weapons.
