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Viasat said Thursday that a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket would launch a next-generation broadband satellite from the 39A platform at the Kennedy Space Center between 2020 and 2022, joining Arianespace and United Launch Alliance in a three-way split for newcomers. Viasat launch contracts.
The new launch agreement is the second commercial launch of Falcon Heavy signed by SpaceX in recent weeks. Swedish company Ovzon announced Oct. 16 the choice of a Falcon Heavy rocket for the launch of its first geostationary communications satellite in space from Space Coast, Florida, in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Viasat's launch agreement with SpaceX for a launch of Falcon Heavy has been widely anticipated by industry leaders. In 2016, Viasat transferred the launch of a former satellite, ViaSat 2, from a Falcon Heavy rocket to an Ariane 5 European launcher, while leaving the opportunity to put one of the broadband satellites new generation of the company on a future Falcon Heavy flight.
Viasat has launched two satellites designed for broadband Internet services in North America – ViaSat 1 and 2 – but the company's next major project will expand the reach of the network globally, with coverage areas in the Americas, Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. the Asia-Pacific region. Viasat has ordered two ViaSat 3 series satellites from Boeing, and plans to choose a manufacturer for a third ViaSat 3 satellite later this year.
In a statement announcing the Falcon Heavy contract, Viasat said the SpaceX spacecraft will deploy the ViaSat 3 satellite "extremely close" from its last perch in geostationary orbit to more than 22,000 km (36,000 km) at above the equator.
Such a high-altitude satellite deployment will require a passage of the second stage of the Falcon Heavy for several hours before relighting the upper-deck Merlin engine. SpaceX demonstrated its long-flight capability during a six-hour climb between two top-engine engine burns during the inaugural test flight of the Falcon Heavy, which propelled a Tesla Roadster on a fast trajectory away from the Earth and into the solar system.
"Viasat was looking for a ViaSat 3 launch partner that included our mission-specific requirements: to quickly and quickly put a ViaSat 3 spacecraft into orbit in order to pursue our goal of delivering tons of data from space. to meet the growing demand for broadband in the world, "said Dave Ryan, president of space systems at Viasat. "We selected SpaceX as they continue to demonstrate their commitment to advancing space technologies. Their proven technology is both powerful and effective for propelling a ViaSat 3 spacecraft near the geostationary orbit. "
The "near-direct" injection near the geostationary orbit will reduce the time it takes for the spacecraft to circularize, accelerating the start of in-orbit testing and the operational mission of the satellite. The ViaSat 3 satellites ordered from Boeing will constitute a fully electric propulsion package, a fuel-efficient booster system that can save weight, but which can take months to place a spacecraft into geostationary orbit from a single source. standard elliptical geostationary transfer orbit used in most launches.
"Falcon Heavy offers excellent opportunities in the market, especially for customers like Viasat, who need a direct injection extremely close to the geostationary orbit," said Gwynne Shotwell, President and Chief Operating Officer of SpaceX. "We are looking forward to bringing ViaSat 3 into orbit and contributing to the commissioning of the latest Viasat technology."
The financial terms of the Viasat contract with SpaceX have not been disclosed.
Viasat has given priority to diversity in its launch bookings for the ViaSat 3 program. The company has reached an agreement with Arianespace in 2016 for the launch of one of the ViaSat 3 satellites on board a rocket Ariane 5 in French Guiana. Viasat announced last month a contract for the launch of another ViaSat 3 spacecraft on a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket in Cape Canaveral. , which will also release its payload into a "high energy" transfer orbit minimizing satellite transit time at the geostationary altitude.
Officials will assign a specific spacecraft to reach a rocket at a later date.
The diversified launch strategy is "designed to ensure the punctual launch of its spacecraft through the diversity of launchers and a systemic and integrated approach to launch planning," said the company in a statement. "Viasat will subsequently announce specific ViaSat 3 missions for each of its contracted launchers."
Viasat said he expects the cost of the first two ViaSat 3-class missions, including satellite, launch, insurance and payload, to fall between $ 1.2 billion and $ 1.4 billion. The company is planning the first two satellites to cover the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa regions.
Each satellite in Viasat's third-generation network will provide more than one terabit per second of Ka-band network capacity, providing connectivity to remote customers, airliners and ships beyond the reach of terrestrial networks.
The ViaSat 3 contract, associated with the Ovzon contract signed by SpaceX earlier this month, gives the Falcon Heavy a backlog of five confirmed missions – two for the US Air Force and one for Arabsat, Ovzon and Viasat .
The London-based satellite company Inmarsat also has a launch reservation for a Falcon Heavy flight, but the company has not confirmed a payload for the mission.
Two Falcon Heavy launches are planned next year from the Kennedy Space Center, which will carry the Arabsat 6A commercial communications satellite, as well as the launch of the multi-payload STP-2 purchased by the Air Force.
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Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @ StephenClark1.
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