satellite_fleet_globalxpress.jpg

Global Xpress

Global Xpress (GX) forms part of our high-speed global, mobile Ka-band network.
High-speed, global connectivity for aviation, maritime, government, and enterprise

Viasat’s high-speed Ka-band mobile, global broadband network is continually evolving to offer even more capacity, capabilities, and operational agility for customers now and well into the future.

 

Our award-winning Global Xpress services deliver the high bandwidth and reliability government, shipping and aviation customers around the world demand. The GX network is currently served by a fleet of six satellites, with an additional five GX communication payloads expected to join the constellation.

GX1-4

CGI rendition of a GX1-4 satellite

The GX1-3 satellites represented a giant leap forward in high-speed global, mobile broadband connectivity when the network achieved commercial service introduction in 2015. With the addition of GX4, the satellites provide high throughput services for maritime, aviation, government, and enterprise markets worldwide. 

  • GX1-4 were launched between 2013-2017 
  • Each satellite features 8 steerable spot beams and secure wideband mil-Ka beams

GX5

CGI rendition of GX5 in orbit above Earth

Constructed by Thales Alenia Space, GX5 was launched in 2019 and delivers more capacity than the entire GX1-GX4 fleet combined. The Very High Throughput Satellite (VHTS) was designed to meet the growing demand for coverage across Europe and the Middle East, for aviation in-flight Wi-Fi, and commercial maritime services.

GX6A

CGI rendition of the GX6A satellite

The advanced Ka-band payloads on our sixth-generation Inmarsat-6 satellites adds further depth to Global Xpress coverage, with targeted spotbeams that can deliver greater capacity when and where there is increased demand.

  • Launched in 2021
  • The hybrid satellite features a Ka-band and L-band communications payload
  • 20 Ka-band spot beams can be directed to meet passenger demand in real-time to provide coverage over the Indian Ocean

GX7, 8 & 9

CGI rendition of the GX7, 8 & 9 satellites

The next generation of Global Xpress satellites, built by Airbus Defense and Space, represents a step change in the evolution of GX capabilities, capacity, and agility. The satellites are designed to use our current terminals and are expected to provide a massive boost in performance for our existing customers.

  • Each satellite is expected to provide twice the total capacity of the entire current GX1-5 network
  • Based on Airbus new Onesat product, they are designed to be the first software-defined GEO satellites with the capability to deliver 1,000s of independent beams of different sizes, bandwidth, and power in real-time 

GX10A & 10B

Physical map of North Pole, Arctic Ocean and Greenland, with high resolution details. Satellite view of Planet Earth. 3D illustration (Blender software), elements of this image furnished by NASA (http://eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/images/imagerecords/147000/147190/eo_base_2020_clean_3600x1800.png)

The GX10A and 10B multi-beam, high-throughput communication payloads are designed to operate in Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO), and are expected to extend Viasat’s high-speed global network across the Arctic to answer growing customer demand in the region.

 

Our GX Arctic expansion is being delivered in partnership with Space Norway and its subsidiary Space Norway HEOSAT as part of the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission. The satellites carrying the GX payloads are built by Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems. Once in service, they are expected to provide the world’s first commercial broadband network dedicated to the Arctic and are designed to be compatible with current and future GX terminals.