Viasat expects to deliver improved inflight connectivity to its business aviation customers from early 2024. This “expanded range of service options,” announced at NBAA 2023 in Las Vegas, will be available across a range of antenna terminal hardware
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Viasat recovers 10% of capacity, will not replace ViaSat-3 Americas satellite
Just 10% of the ViaSat-3 F1 satellite’s planned capacity will be available, the company has confirmed. Still, that should leave the satellite as one of the highest capacity systems in orbit, enough that Viasat “remains confident that it will meet the current and future needs of its mobility customers.” A replacement satellite will not be required.
CesiumAstro ESA successfully connects in SES, Hughes tests
CesiumAstro successfully tested its active phased array antenna terminal solution with SES’s geosynchronous satellite network, a key milestone as the company works to deliver hardware to the government and commercial aviation sectors.
Viasat suffers power anomaly on I6 F2
For the second time this summer Viasat has seen a failure of efforts to grow its global satellite constellation. The I6-F2 satellite, launched in February by Inmarsat, “suffered a power subsystem anomaly during its orbit raising phase” and will not enter service as planned.
Malaysia Airlines picks Viasat for MAX inflight internet, entertainment
Malaysia Airlines’ upcoming fleet of 737 MAX 8 aircraft will offer inflight internet and wireless entertainment on board, powered by Viasat.
Viasat doubles down on interoperability to address short, mid-term capacity challenges
Despite the troubles with its first flagship ViaSat-3 satellite, Viasat continues to maintain a positive outlook. Yes, the lack of capacity from the new satellite over the Americas is a problem. But for the next couple years that should only impact its terrestrial connectivity business, not the higher-margin mobility or government business lines.
Pricing tweaks ahead for Spirit’s in-flight Wi-Fi
Nearly a year after Spirit Airlines formally launched its on-board Wi-Fi program, new plans dynamic pricing models are slated for trial later this year.
ThinKom, Kontron partner for multi-constellation, multi-orbit, multi-modem IFC terminal
ThinKom and Kontron have partnered to develop a multi-modem terminal capable of supporting multiple constellations across multiple orbital planes.
Viasat cleared to close on Inmarsat purchase
The European Commission unconditionally approved Viasat’s planned purchase of Inmarsat on Thursday, removing the last regulatory hurdle the two companies faced in their planned consolidation. With that eliminated, they now expect to close the deal before the end of May.
CesiumAstro brings Ka-band ESA to life; Airbus trials planned
CesiumAstro has a lot of experience delivering phased array antenna solutions in space. Now it wants to bring that hardware a bit closer to earth. The company announced a new Ka-band electronically steered antenna (ESA) platform at Satellite 2023, including plans for the commercial aviation sector.