News

Viasat Inc. has recently inaugurated a Real-Time Earth (RTE) ground station in Hokkaido, Japan. This ground station, hosted by RTE partner Infostellar, allows RTE customers to downlink Ka-band payload data in the northwestern Pacific. The establishment of this new ground site offers RTE customers access to a strategic location that reduces the delivery time of mission-critical data.

At the Hokkaido site, Viasat can provide Ka-band support for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) missions by downlinking Ka-band payload data using a 7.3 meter, full motion antenna. This capability positions Viasat to support current and future government and commercial satellite programs. The Hokkaido ground station is an essential link for Viasat in supporting high data rate remote sensing missions in polar and inclined orbits through the RTE network of Ka-band antenna systems.

Viasat’s RTE Ka-band footprint now extends to sites in Sweden, Ghana, South Africa, and Australia. In the coming months, RTE plans to expand its Ka-band capability with the addition of sites in Alaska and Argentina. Additionally, RTE offers global S/X-band services at all its sites.

Viasat’s Vice President of Real-Time Earth, Steve Tanous, stated that Ka-band significantly increases the capacity for downlinking earth observation data compared to traditional X-band. This higher capacity translates into more effective and cost-efficient data transfers for satellite operators.

Infostellar CEO Tom Pirrone expressed satisfaction with the partnership between Infostellar and Viasat RTE, particularly with the addition of the RTE 7.3M S/X/Ka-band antenna at the hosting site in Taiki City, Hokkaido. This new capability has already proven beneficial for both Viasat and Infostellar clients, and both companies look forward to expanding their partnership services in Japan and globally.

Viasat RTE offers Ground-Station-as-a-Service (GSaaS) capabilities to support various sectors such as environmental, insurance, shipping, energy, and government operations. Its fully managed and cost-effective ground network caters to satellite operators using GEO, MEO, and LEO satellites through the S-, X-, and Ka-bands. Currently, Viasat RTE operates on five continents, with sites in North America, South America, Europe, Australia, and Africa.

The post Viasat Inc. Opens Real-Time Earth Ground Station in Hokkaido, Japan appeared first on ISP Today.