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Viasat has recently opened a new ground station for its Real-Time Earth (RTE) service in Hokkaido, Japan. The ground station, hosted at Infostellar’s site, features a 7.3 meter Ka-band antenna that will support high data rate remote sensing missions in polar and inclined orbits through the RTE network.

As a provider of ground-station-as-a-service, Viasat offers a fully managed ground network. The RTE Ka-band footprint now includes sites in Sweden, Ghana, South Africa, and Australia, with plans to expand to additional sites in Alaska and Argentina later this year. The RTE service provides global S- and X-band services at all sites.

Viasat’s partnership with Infostellar is mutually beneficial for both companies and their clients. The collaboration has already demonstrated the ability to integrate with a civilian space agency and receive Ka-band payloads over a fully automated commercial service. Viasat also has multiple contracts with commercial satellite operators who recognize the advantages of Ka-band technology.

Steve Tanous, Vice President of Real-Time Earth at Viasat, explained the advantages of Ka-band for earth observation data. Compared to traditional high data rate X-band, Ka-band offers more than triple the capacity for downlinking data, resulting in more efficient and cost-effective passes for satellite operators.

The opening of the new ground station in Japan allows Viasat to further expand its Real-Time Earth service and provide enhanced support for remote sensing missions. With plans for additional Ka-band sites and partnerships on the horizon, Viasat remains at the forefront of advancing satellite communication technologies.

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