ViaSat-2 to launch ka-band satellite on June 1 for Americas coverage

By ViaSat

May 31, 2017

ViaSat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), a global broadband services and technology company, today announced its ViaSat-2 satellite is in the final launch preparation stage at the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. ViaSat-2 is scheduled to launch on June 1, at 4:45 pm PDT.

Launch Campaign

Following the arrival of the ViaSat-2 satellite in French Guiana, the satellite has undergone testing to verify its health prior to fueling; chemical fuel loading (ViaSat-2 has a hybrid propulsion system, which means it is using traditional chemical propulsion as well as electric propulsion); and the final process of mating ViaSat-2 to the launch vehicle. In the final process, ViaSat-2 was mated to the payload adapter, which holds the satellite to the rocket. All events have been successfully verified, allowing

Launch

Launch has been scheduled for June 1, in a one hour launch window commencing at 4:45 pm PDT, and will take place from the Guiana Space Center located in Kourou, French Guiana. The satellite will weigh 6,418 kg at launch, and will be sent into geostationary transfer orbit by the Arianespace Ariane 5 ECA launch vehicle. ViaSat-2 will be located at an orbital slot located at 69.9° west longitude.

The ViaSat-2 mission will take less than 30 minutes from liftoff to separation. Once the satellite separates from the rocket, the next major event will be acquisition, which is the point at which the satellite first communicates with, and accepts commands from a ground station. Acquisition is expected to occur approximately 15 minutes after separation. At that point, the mission can be considered successful.

About ViaSat-2

The ViaSat-2 satellite system is expected to significantly improve speeds, reduce costs and expand the footprint of broadband services across North America, Central America, the Caribbean and a portion of northern South America, as well as the primary aeronautical and maritime routes across the Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe. ViaSat-2 is a geostationary satellite that operates in Ka-band frequencies. It was designed to offer high-capacity connectivity and wide coverage, with the flexibility to move capacity to where demand requires it. As compared to ViaSat-1, ViaSat-2 is expected to double the bandwidth, with more than 300

Gigabits per second (Gbps) of total network capacity, as well as provide seven times the broadband coverage.

A live webcast of the launch will be available on June 1, 2017, starting at 4:30 pm PDT at: www.viasat.com and www.arianespace.com. For more information about ViaSat-2, visit: www.vs2launch.com.

About ViaSat

ViaSat, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT) keeps the world connected. As a global broadband services and technology company, ViaSat ensures consumers, businesses, governments and military personnel have communications access - anywhere - whether on the ground or in-flight. The Company's innovations in designing highest-capacity satellites and secure ground infrastructure and terminal technologies coupled with its international network of managed Wi-Fi hotspots enable ViaSat to deliver a best available network that extends the reach and accessibility of broadband internet service, globally. For more information visit ViaSat at: www.viasat.com.