ViaSat is currently testing its next satellite – its first ViaSat-3 craft, and part of a three-satellite geostationary broadband constellation. It is due to launch later this summer and should supply 1TB/second of throughput. It will launch on a SpaceX rocket.

ViaSat is also in the process of acquiring Inmarsat and ViaSat’s executive chairman, Mark Dankberg spoke about both elements in a panel discussion at the recent Satellite 2022 event in Washington.

He said that ground testing within the Thermal Vacuum chamber of the ViaSat-3 satellite was going well. Dankberg said: “It looks like [we will get to 1TB] but only in-orbit testing would prove the capacity. We are so confident that we are already working on next-generation satellites and where we think we can achieve in the order of 5TB of throughput from a single satellite. We are planning to be able to aim that capacity where it is most in demand.”

Dankberg also spoke about the appeal of Inmarsat’s L-band spectrum. L-band, he said, allowed for satellite-based connectivity direct to a cellphone. He explained that the main obstacle affecting the technology was getting the right chip-sets into the phones. Dankberg said that ViaSat was “very excited” about the prospects for developing Inmarsat’s L-band frequencies.

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Tags: dankberg, HTS, satellite, spectrum, Viasat, Washington Post