GX10A & 10B
Two Global Xpress (GX) Ka-band communication payloads are expected to bring high-speed broadband services to the Arctic region.
ASBM launch success!
The Space Norway Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM) satellites successfully launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California with SpaceX aboard a Falcon 9 rocket on August 11, 2024 at 7.02 p.m. PT.
The two ASBM satellites are carrying the GX10A and 10B payloads that Viasat aims to use to bring broadband connectivity to the Arctic, once in service in highly elliptical orbit. Find out more here.
Connecting the Arctic
The Arctic Circle is an area where we are seeing rapidly growing connectivity requirements for government and commercial mobility customers.
To ensure our broadband network consistently delivers when it matters most, enhancing coverage in the Arctic region all the way down to 65 degrees North will be essential to support scientific research, underpin strategic government action in a new geopolitical landscape, enable new trade routes, and keep people connected.
The launch of two high-speed Ka-band payloads into highly elliptical orbit (HEO) is designed to extend our global footprint to meet customer expectations – even if standing on the North Pole.
Ka-band technology roadmap
The GX payloads in HEO are designed to seamlessly integrate as part of the wider Global Xpress fleet and are a further example of how we are extending into multi-orbit, cooperative networks to provide our customers with the seamless mobile connectivity they expect across the world.
An additional four Ka-band satellites, Viasat-3, F2 and F3, and GX7, 8 and 9, are scheduled to enter service over the coming few years as part of our strategy to further enhance high-speed broadband capacity for our government and commercial mobility customers –– ensuring we can meet customer demand now and well into the future.
Our customers
The GX payloads are designed to address the needs of our government customers and in the future, commercial mobility customers, where high-speed mobile broadband connectivity is driving both major operational and efficiency improvements and supporting the introduction of new business models.
For Governments, the GX payloads will enable continuous, assured communications for tactical and strategic users operating in the Arctic region, including customers in the U.S., Canada, Scandinavia, and other Arctic regions.
Importantly, these payloads will also provide dedicated Government Ka-band steerable capacity through service beams and high-capacity steerable beams, to meet even the most demanding mission-critical government requirements, in real time.