SATCAT no. 37843 Bus LS-1300 Orbit height 35,776 km Period 24 hours | COSPAR ID 2011-059A Mission duration 15 years Launch date 19 October 2011 Speed on orbit 3.07 km/s Manufacturer SSL | |
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Operator Isle of Man ViaSat-IOM/ManSat Similar ViaSat‑2, KA‑SAT, EchoStar XVII, QuetzSat 1, Ekspress AM4 | ||
ViaSat-1 is a high throughtput communications satellite owned by ViaSat Inc. and Telesat Canada. Launched October 19, 2011 aboard a Proton rocket, it holds the Guinness record for the world's highest capacity communications satellite with a total capacity in excess of 140 Gbit/s, more than all the satellites covering North America combined, at the time of its launch.
ViaSat-1 is capable of two-way communications with small dish antennas at higher speeds and a lower cost-per-bit than any satellite before.
The satellite will be positioned at the Isle of Man registered 115.1 degrees West longitude geostationary orbit point, with 72 Ka-band spot beams; 63 over the U.S. (Eastern and Western states, Alaska and Hawaii), and nine over Canada.
The Canadian beams are owned by satellite operator Telesat and will be used for the Xplornet broadband service to consumers in rural Canada. The US beams will provide fast Internet access called Exede, ViaSat's satellite Internet service.
ViaSat-1 is part of a new satellite system architecture created by ViaSat Inc. The objective is to create a better satellite broadband user experience, making satellite competitive with DSL and wireless broadband alternatives for the first time.