Viasat recently conducted a demonstration flight over the Arctic region to showcase its government satellite communication capabilities. The test, which took place on a Calspan Gulfstream III aircraft, allowed participants from Viasat’s government and military partners to connect their devices across more than 600 miles of Arctic territory. The event highlighted the use of steerable Mil-Ka beams provided by Viasat’s high-capacity GX10A and GX10B payloads.
These payloads are part of Space Norway’s Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM), carried on two highly elliptical orbit satellites, ASBM-1 and ASBM-2. While Space Norway operates the satellites through secured ground stations in northern Norway, Viasat manages the steerable beams and commercial payloads from its secure control center in the United States.
The GX10 capabilities fall under Viasat’s Communication Services segment and Government Satcom business. They expand Viasat’s global coverage with dedicated capacity for the Arctic region and support plans for multi-orbit service delivery.
The onboard steerable Mil-Ka beams are intended for authorized military users, enabling them to access wideband capacity as part of independent networks. This allows governments to direct satellite resources anywhere above 63 degrees North latitude, improving reliability and capacity for various missions.
Viasat’s government Mil-Ka connectivity solutions support mission applications across air, land, sea, and space domains. These include intelligence gathering, surveillance, reconnaissance operations, border security tasks, emergency response efforts, and special forces activities.
Todd McDonell, President of International Government at Viasat said: “After bringing the payloads into service for government customers earlier this year, we’re excited we can now demonstrate how this new capacity and coverage can help enable assured, resilient communications for tactical and strategic government missions, alongside vital research and monitoring in the region. This is another step in Viasat’s ability to provide innovative, multi-orbit solutions and services to meet the changing connectivity requirements of government customers worldwide.”
For further information regarding investor relations at Viasat contact Lisa Curran or Peter Lopez at +1 (760) 476-2633 or IR@viasat.com.
