ViaSat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT has completed the Critical Design Review (CDR) milestones for their ViaSat-3 class spacecraft.
The payload CDR was successfully completed last week, and when combined with the successful bus CDR that was conducted with Boeing in mid-August, both companies are now moving forward with building, integrating and testing the first two satellites.
According to the company, the ViaSat-3 class of Ka-band satellites is expected to provide unprecedented capabilities in terms of service speed and flexibility. The first two satellites will focus on the Americas and on Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), respectively, with a third satellite planned for the Asia Pacific region, completing ViaSat's global service coverage. Each ViaSat-3 class satellite is expected to deliver more than 1-Terabit per second of network capacity, and to leverage high levels of flexibility to dynamically direct capacity to where customers are located.
The ViaSat-3 payload is being designed and manufactured by ViaSat at its Tempe, Arizona, facility while Boeing is building the all-electric propulsion 702 satellite platform at their factory in El Segundo, California. Boeing will deliver the payload module structure to ViaSat's satellite integration facility in Tempe where the payload will be installed and tested. Following completion of payload testing, ViaSat will send the completed payload module back to Boeing, where it will be mated
to the spacecraft and tested to ensure readiness for launch and the space environment once on orbit.
Mark Dankberg, chairman and CEO, ViaSat, stated that the ViaSat-3 class satellite platform enables high-speed, high-quality, affordable internet on a global scale. The company is still on a path to achieve the target bandwidth and the flexibility to dynamically allocate capacity to the most attractive and engaged geographic markets. Completing the CDR process for both the payload and bus programs brings this very unique broadband resource another step closer to launch.
Paul Rusnock, chairman and CEO, Boeing Satellite Systems International, noted that completing the bus CDR validates that the satellite meets all necessary requirements for production to begin. ViaSat-3 is the largest satellite in both size and power that Boeing is building and one of the largest satellites in the industry. This will be a highly-capable and advanced spacecraft — with greater than 25kW of power at end of life, and an ability to take full advantage of the efficiency of its all-electric propulsion.
