Viasat's Arctic Broadband Dedicated Coverage Advances as Payloads Enter Service Onboard Space Norway’s Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission Spacecraft
Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), a global leader in satellite communications, has confirmed the GX10A and GX10B satellite payloads are now available to deliver services for government customers, with commercial maritime and aviation services anticipated to follow throughout fiscal year 2026. Viasat successfully completed in-orbit testing of the payloads late last year and government services are now available.
Launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in August 2024, the GX10A and GX10B payloads are housed on Space Norway’s Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission spacecraft — ASBM-1 and ASBM-2. The satellites feature hosted payloads for the Norwegian Military and the U.S Government, as well as a radiation monitoring capability for the European Commission. For Viasat, the GX10A and GX10B payloads are aimed to provide broadband satellite coverage over the Arctic region for government and commercial customers.
The connectivity demands of governments, commercial mobility services and scientists over the Arctic region have been rapidly growing. These new payloads will expand the coverage area served by Viasat, further strengthening the company’s global coverage capabilities with this dedicated capacity for the Arctic region. These payloads also support Viasat’s roadmap of delivering multi-orbit services to support customers across markets.
The satellites operate in a Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO) and extend Viasat’s network for markets including aviation, maritime, and governments beyond geostationary orbit for the first time. For Government customers, Viasat’s Global Xpress (GX) network provides high-speed Ka-band services across land, sea, and air, with the Arctic coverage extension now offering uninterrupted connectivity across the polar region.
Girish Chandran, Chief Technology Officer and President, Global Space Networks, said: “We would like to thank Space Norway, our project partners, and our teams for their continued hard work to make this project a reality. Bringing these payloads into service for government will help our vision to deliver the flexibility, coverage, and connectivity our customers need – wherever they operate.”
Susan Miller, President, Viasat Government, said: “We’re excited to begin delivering services in the Arctic region to support scientific research and enable assured, resilient communications for tactical and strategic government missions. 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.”
Viasat is planning to further expand its high-speed broadband capacity and capabilities for government and commercial mobility customers with five new Ka-band satellites currently under construction, which are expected to enter service during the course of the next few years.