A Falcon 9 rocket lights up the skies over the Kennedy Space Center. (FILE) (WKMG) BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket at midnight from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, laden with a payload for Astranis. Astranis is an American company headquartered in San Francisco which seeks to break the mold when it comes to satellite manufacturing, specifically with regard to how it claims satellites have historically either been small and inexpensive for dwelling in low-Earth orbit, or large and expensive for high orbits. What Astranis describes as “a new class of satellite” it described as “small, powerful satellites for high orbits with the latest in digital processing technology,” according to its website. Astranis has more than 10 satellites on contract for customers around the world, representing more than $1 billion of satellite services sold. Astranis.com | "One on orbit today, many more launching soon." (excerpt)