ViaSat Inc. (Nasdaq:VSAT) has rescheduled the launch of its high-capacity satellite ViaSat-1 with International Launch Services (ILS) to summer 2011. The delay provides additional time for repair and testing after the satellite was damaged while being moved during the testing process. All costs related to the repair and re-testing of the satellite are being assumed by the manufacturer of ViaSat-1, Space Systems/Loral, a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications Inc.
ViaSat-1 is designed to be the first “media-enabled” satellite, with the capacity to serve the accelerating growth in bandwidth demand for multimedia Internet access over the next decade. The high capacity Ka-band spot beam satellite has planned coverage over North America. With U.S. capacity estimated at 130 Gbps, ViaSat-1 is expected to be (at launch) the highest capacity satellite in the world.
About ViaSat (www.viasat.com)
ViaSat produces innovative satellite and other digital communication products that enable fast, secure, and efficient communications to virtually any location. The company provides networking products and managed network services for enterprise IP applications; is a key supplier of network-centric military communications and encryption technologies and products to the U.S. government; is the primary technology partner for gateway and customer-premises equipment for consumer and mobile satellite broadband services; and owns WildBlue, the premier Ka-band satellite broadband service provider. ViaSat also offers design capabilities and a number of complementary products including monolithic microwave integrated circuits and modules, DVB-S2 satellite communication components, video data link systems, data acceleration and compression, and mobile satellite antenna systems. Based in Carlsbad, Calif., ViaSat includes a number of worldwide locations for customer service, network operations, and technology development.
