Boeing has delivered the most powerful satellite
platform the company has built to date, a
custom-designed 702MP+ spacecraft for network provider Viasat.
ViaSat-3 Americas was flown
to the Florida Space Coast where Boeing and Viasat teams will
support launch and mission operations as the spacecraft prepares
to travel to geostationary orbit, approximately 22,000 miles from
Earth.
Once in orbit, ViaSat-3 Americas will be the first of three
702MP+ satellites to make up the ultra-high capacity ViaSat-3
satellite constellation, designed to provide high-quality,
affordable global connectivity and coverage.
“Working with Boeing, we’re very excited to complete
the ViaSat-3 Americas and bring us one step closer to providing
higher speeds, more bandwidth, and greater value to our customers
on a global scale whether they be on land, on the sea, or in the
air,” said Dave Ryan, president Space & Commercial Networks,
Viasat. “The innovation of this satellite allows us new levels of
flexibility to dynamically allocate capacity to the most attractive and engaged geographic markets.”
Based on the flight-proven 702 vehicle design hosting the U.S.
Department of Defense’s Wideband Global Satellite (WGS)
constellation, and more than 40 other satellites,
including ViaSat-2, Boeing’s 702MP+ features all-electric
propulsion for the first time aboard a 702MP, providing more
sustained thrust and efficiency.
The
platform also accommodates the largest commercial satellite solar
arrays Boeing-subsidiary Spectrolab has ever produced, along with
batteries and supporting electronics, which generate well over 30
kW of solar power.
The satellite has some of the largest reflectors
ever sent to space and will be significantly larger than most
geostationary satellites.
“We designed,
built and delivered the most powerful satellite platform we have
ever provided to a customer. The result really is an engineering
marvel,” said Michelle Parker, vice president of Space Mission
Systems at Boeing Defense, Space & Security. “We expanded the
boundaries of our design and the platform components to exceed Viasat’s demanding mission requirements, while ensuring alignment
with Boeing’s proven qualification and reliability standards.”
