Viasat Real-Time Earth Antennas Integrated on Microsoft Azure Orbital

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Apr 11, 2023, 09:00 ET

Five Real-Time Earth Sites Around the World to be Directly Connected to Microsoft WAN to Enable High-Speed Data Transfer

CARLSBAD, Calif., April 11, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), a global communications company, today announced through a collaboration with Microsoft Azure Orbital, the global Viasat Real-Time Earth (RTE) ground service is now accessible through the Azure marketplace. Five RTE sites will be equipped with high-speed connectivity directly to the Azure cloud platform.

Two Viasat RTE 7.3m S/X/Ka-band ground stations in Alice Springs, Australia. Image provided courtesy of Centre for Appropriate Technologies, Alice Springs Australia.

Satellite operators are able to schedule passes on RTE antenna systems and will soon be able to rely on secure end-to-end connectivity with Azure over the private Microsoft WAN. This solution is ideal for commercial satellite operators seeking high throughput, low latency connectivity with their spacecraft, coupled with the security and resiliency of the cloud.

"Viasat Real-Time Earth is enabling remote sensing satellite operators who are pushing the envelope of high-rate downlinks," said John Williams, vice president Viasat Real-Time Earth. "Our strong relationship with Microsoft enables those same customers, through increased access to our ground service, Azure Orbital, and a dependable, high-speed terrestrial network, to reduce the time it takes to downlink and deliver massive amounts of data."

"The new capabilities Microsoft Azure Orbital brings together with Viasat RTE are transformational for ground stations and customers pushing for rapid innovation like True Anomaly," said Stephen Kitay, senior director, Azure Space at Microsoft. "This collaboration plays a role in increasing resiliency and reducing latency with real-time streaming across the space community."

Commercial satellite operators are moving towards higher and higher downlink rates, which brings down the cost of delivering data from space to the ground. To achieve this, many satellite operators have moved to Ka-band, which provides over three times more bandwidth than the traditional, and crowded, X-band spectrum for remote sensing missions. With Viasat, satellite operators flying electro-optical, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), and hyperspectral payloads, gain access to an already established global network of Ka-band antennas for remote sensing missions.

Viasat RTE provides Ground-Station-as-a-Service (GSaaS) capabilities to connect commercial and government customers with their satellites on a pay-per-use basis. It is a fully-managed, cost-effective ground network that enables operators with geosynchronous orbit (GEO), medium earth orbit (MEO) and low earth orbit (LEO) satellites using the S-, X- and Ka-bands, to meet increasing data requirements.

About Viasat
Viasat is a global communications company that believes everyone and everything in the world can be connected. For more than 35 years, Viasat has helped shape how consumers, businesses, governments and militaries around the world communicate. Today, the Company is developing the ultimate global communications network to power high-quality, secure, affordable, fast connections to impact people's lives anywhere they are—on the ground, in the air or at sea. To learn more about Viasat, visit: www.viasat.com, go to Viasat's Corporate Blog, or follow the Company on social media at: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter or YouTube.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to the safe harbors created under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward looking statements include among others, statements about the connection of high-speed connection from Viasat RTE sites to the Azure cloud; and the features and benefits of the RTE solution. Readers are cautioned that actual results could differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include: risks associated with the construction, launch and operation of satellites, including the effect of any anomaly, operational failure or degradation in satellite performance; contractual problems; product defects; regulatory issues; not being developed according to anticipated schedules, or that do not perform according to expectations; and other factors affecting the communications market generally. In addition, please refer to the risk factors contained in Viasat's SEC filings available at www.sec.gov, including Viasat's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. Viasat undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements for any reason.

Copyright © 2023 Viasat, Inc. All rights reserved. Viasat, the Viasat logo and the Viasat signal are registered trademarks of Viasat, Inc. All other product or company names mentioned are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Viasat, Inc.