CesiumAstro buys chip designer to back 737-satellite Synchronicity constellation

CesiumAstro, the Austin, Texas-based specialist in phased-array antennas, has agreed to acquire fabless semiconductor company Jariet Technologies for an undisclosed sum. The deal, announced Aug. 12, brings roughly 100 employees from Jariet's operations in the United States and Switzerland into CesiumAstro.

Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Redondo Beach, California, Jariet designs radio-frequency chips for satellite communications, electronic warfare, and radar systems. Its portfolio includes technology for digital beamforming and wideband signal processing, capabilities that align closely with CesiumAstro's core business.

A CesiumAstro spokesperson said the team and technologies would be integrated across all of the company's offerings, covering ground, air, and space segments. The acquisition was described as a significant enabler for CesiumAstro's planned satellite constellation.

Details about that constellation, named Synchronicity, remain scarce. Last month, CesiumAstro filed plans with regulators for a low Earth orbit network of 737 satellites. The spacecraft would operate in Ku-, Ka-, and V-band spectrum to deliver reconfigurable connectivity for fixed and mobile enterprise and government users.

The nine-year-old company built its reputation on software-defined, multi-beam phased-array technology. More recently, it expanded into satellite platforms with the Element bus, designed to host those antenna systems. The first Element satellite is targeted for launch in October 2026, with additional units booked on seven further SpaceX rideshare missions over the following years.

The acquisition of Jariet adds in-house semiconductor design expertise, reducing reliance on external suppliers for critical RF components. It also positions CesiumAstro to move faster as it prepares to deploy the Synchronicity network, which would compete with other emerging low Earth orbit communications constellations.