Viasat Broadband Satellite Experiences Malfunction

Viasat's recently launched ViaSat-3 Americas broadband communications satellite has experienced a malfunction that could affect its performance.

“An unexpected event occurred during reflector deployment that may materially impact the performance of the ViaSat-3 Americas satellite,” the company said July 12. “Viasat and its reflector provider are conducting a rigorous review of the development and deployment of the affected reflector to determine its impact and potential remedial measures.”

While the malfunction does not affect Viasat’s current service or coverage, the disclosure caused the company’s share price on the Nasdaq exchange to plummet. Following its acquisition of UK satellite operator Inmarsat, which closed on May 30, Viasat said it has 12 broadband Ka-band satellites in space, with eight additional Ka-band satellites under construction.

ViaSat-3 Americas is the first of three new ultra-high-capacity Ka-band satellites the company plans to place into geostationary orbit to vastly increase its available capacity and coverage. Each will be capable of providing 1 terabit per second of throughput capacity. 

The first ViaSat-3 satellite covers the Americas and is expected to enter service this summer, initially for Viasat’s residential Internet customers and later this year for aviation users. The second satellite, due for launch by United Launch Alliance this fall, will provide coverage of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The third, which does not have a confirmed launch provider, will cover the Asia-Pacific region.

ViaSat-3 Americas launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on April 30 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Plans called for the spacecraft to reach its orbital location at 88.9 deg. west longitude within three weeks.

Viasat did not name the supplier of reflector antenna, which is used to concentrate the satellite’s transmitting power. “We’re disappointed by the recent developments,” said Viasat Chairman and CEO Mark Dankberg. “We’re working closely with the reflector’s manufacturer to try to resolve the issue. We sincerely appreciate their focused efforts and commitment.”

The company said it is refining contingency plans “to minimize the economic impact” of the malfunction. Options include redeploying other satellites from the current Viasat fleet to optimize coverage, or reallocating new ViaSat-3 satellites to provide additional bandwidth over the Americas.

Viasat said it will provide additional information on the status of ViaSat-3 Americas and any necessary contingency plans during an earnings call scheduled for Aug. 9.