Ka-band Satellite To Fly Onboard Ariane 5 In 2011

This week, Arianespace CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall and Mark Dankberg, Chairman and CEO of ViaSat Inc., announced they have signed the launch Service & Solutions contract for the ViaSat-1 broadband communications satellite.

ViaSat-1, a high-capacity Ka-band spot beam satellite, is scheduled for launch by an Ariane 5 during the first half of 2011 from the Guiana Space Center, Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

ViaSat-1 will be dedicated to providing broadband internet media services to consumers and businesses over North America. With a capacity estimated at 100 Gbps, ViaSat-1 is expected to be (at launch) the highest capacity satellite in the world.

Built by Space Systems/Loral in Palo Alto, CA, the satellite is expected to weigh over 13,000 lbs at launch.

This is the 86th launch contract won by Arianespace in the United States.

"Winning this contract from ViaSat confirms our ability to deliver top-quality launch services," said Arianespace Chairman and CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall. "Arianespace is proud of our contribution to ViaSat's pioneering role in the deployment of new broadband services."

"The track record of Arianespace clearly shows how well they understand the importance of each launch and how to execute the very detailed and demanding schedules of these missions," said Mark Dankberg, Chairman and CEO of ViaSat. "We are seeing a lot of anticipation in the marketplace for ViaSat-1, which is designed to deliver more capacity and a lower cost per bit than any satellite before."

FMI: www.arianespace.com