On 29 October 2026, Axelspace released verification images captured by GRUS-3C, one of the GRUS-3 satellites. The company confirmed the full sequence of operations through ground reception while suppressing overheating in the conventional high-speed communications system.
The 7 GRUS-3 satellites were launched in July 2026, and the high-speed communications system is reportedly malfunctioning on 4 of them, 3B, 3E, 3F and 3G. On 6 October, Axelspace announced that it had determined these 4 satellites had suffered permanent failures and would be difficult to use commercially.
The presumed cause is damage to the internal amplifier components after they reached abnormally high temperatures because of inadequate heat dissipation from the power amplifier in the high-speed communications system. Meanwhile, initial operations are continuing on the remaining 3 satellites with the same design, 3A, 3C and 3D, while efforts are being made to control their temperatures. On GRUS-3C, the company verified operations from image capture through data reception.
The company plans to check and adjust each satellite's temperature, operating status and image quality, with the start of commercial operations targeted for February 2027. The 4 malfunctioning satellites are not scheduled to be deorbited, and the company is also considering the possibility of providing images and using data through low-speed communications.