ViaSat-1 is a high throughput communications satellite owned by Viasat Inc. and Telesat Canada.[2][3] Launched October 19, 2011 aboard a Proton rocket, it held the Guinness record for the world's highest capacity communications satellite with a total capacity in excess of 140 Gbit/s, more than all the satellites covering North America combined, at the time of its launch.[4]
| Names | VS-1, VIASAT-IOM |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Communication |
| Operator | Viasat Inc. / Telesat |
| COSPAR ID | 2011-059A |
| SATCAT no. | 37843 |
| Mission duration | 15 years (planned) 13 years, 1 month, 2 days (elapsed) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | LS-1300 |
| Manufacturer | Space Systems/Loral |
| Launch mass | 6,740 kg (14,860 lb) |
| Dry mass | 3,650 kg (8,050 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 19 October 2011, 18:48:58 UTC |
| Rocket | Proton-M/Briz-M |
| Launch site | Baikonur 200/39 |
| Contractor | International Launch Services |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Geostationary |
| Longitude | 115.1° west |
| Perigee altitude | 35,783 kilometres (22,235 mi)[1] |
| Apogee altitude | 35,802 kilometres (22,246 mi)[1] |
| Inclination | 0.00 degrees[1] |
| Period | 1436.10 minutes[1] |
| Epoch | 25 January 2015, 04:39:48 UTC[1] |
| Transponders | |
| Band | 56 Ka-band |
| Coverage area | Contiguous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada |
ViaSat-1 is capable of two-way communications with small dish antennas at higher speeds and a lower cost-per-bit than any satellite before.[5]
The satellite is positioned at 115.1 degrees West longitude geostationary orbit point, with 72 Ka-band spot beams; 63 over the U.S. (Eastern and Western states, Alaska and Hawaii), and nine over Canada.
The Canadian beams are owned by satellite operator Telesat and are used for the Xplornet broadband service to consumers in rural Canada. The US beams provide fast Internet access called Exede, Viasat's satellite Internet service.[6]
ViaSat-1 is part of a new satellite system architecture created by Viasat Inc. The objective is to create a better satellite broadband user experience,[7] making satellite competitive with DSL and wireless broadband alternatives for the first time.[8]
See also
edit
- ViaSat-2
- Viasat
- High-throughput satellite – This type of communication satellite.
- Satellite Internet access
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "VIASAT 1 Satellite details 2011-059A NORAD 37843". N2YO. 25 January 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
- ^ ViaSat-1 Launch Is Milestone for Isle of Man
- ^ The Isle of Man Government launch ViaSat-1 the first satellite to use an Isle of Man licensed orbital filing[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Highest-capacity communications satellite". December 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
- ^ Amos, Jonathan (October 20, 2011). "Viasat broadband 'super-satellite' launches". BBC News. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "Exede: The satellite broadband service you've been waiting for?". CNet. January 2012. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
- ^ "A Very Different Kind of Dish Network". Fortune. October 2011. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
- ^ "Exede service comes in first place in FCC report". TeleCompetitor. February 2013. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
External links
edit- Exede website
- NYT article
- SSL ViaSat-1 page
- Launch overview Archived 2012-03-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ViaSat-1 footprints
- System technical overview Archived 2012-04-05 at the Wayback Machine
- Design, build and launch summary video
- Xplornet Communications Inc.
- Presentation to FCC International Bureau