Viasat will provide a low Earth orbit satellite communications capability to support Department of Defense mission

Viasat,  a global leader in satellite communications,  announced that Inmarsat Government (dba Viasat) received a Task Order award to provide satellite communications  services under the Proliferated Low Earth Orbit Satellite-Based Services Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity contract, which was awarded in 2023 to multiple vendors by the U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency  on behalf of the U.S Space Force and Space Systems Command Commercial Satellite Communications Office.

This is the first Task Order award for Viasat under the 10-year IDIQ contract, which now has an expanded ceiling value of $13 billion. As part of this contract, Viasat aims to provide a suite of fully-managed LEO satellite-based services and capabilities, to include space relay services, supplemented by GEO and NGSO satellites, supporting all domains – space, air, land, maritime and cyber.

Under this initial $3.5 million Task Order, Viasat will provide Ku-band LEO services through a partner network to support U.S. government operations in various global locations. As part of this work, Viasat will provide network management support, including real-time data through an online account management tool and offering comprehensive technical support 24/7 to ensure uninterrupted service. A leading satellite services provider and network integrator, Viasat has worked with trusted satellite owners/operators to provide the bandwidth government customers require at a cost-effective price point.

As government operations increasingly depend on space-based capabilities from trusted commercial operators for defense and national security missions, it is critical to have resilient communications architectures that include satellites in geostationary (GEO) and non-geostationary orbits (NGSO). The expansion of satcom services in LEO is part of a Department of Defense (DoD) strategy to strengthen resilience for satellite communications, remote sensing and other capabilities by diversifying and integrating the orbits used.

“Viasat has a history of delivering integrated SATCOM solutions and service offerings across multiple bands and orbits to address government customers’ unique requirements. This new Task Order award is a testament to our team’s continued commitment and ability to provide diverse, multi-orbit SATCOM solutions with the global reach, scalability, and flexibility to meet the needs of today’s global military operations,” said Victor Farah, Senior Vice President of Government Services and Solutions at Viasat. “We are proud to provide the government with a resilient low latency global LEO service that offers the flexibility to support the needs of combatant commands, other DoD organizations and international coalition partners.”