Pointing to Multiple ViaSat-2 Delays, ViaSat Asks for More Gateway Time
ViaSat wants more time to complete its network of gateway earth stations that will tie into its ViaSat-2 broadband satellite. In a series of FCC International Bureau filings Thursday (for example, see here), the company said 21 of the 38…
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earth stations authorized early this year will be ready to begin operation within a month, but 17 require a one-year extension of their deadline, to Jan. 18, 2019. It said the delay was beyond ViaSat's control, stemming from delays in ViaSat-2's launch that in turn were due to delays with the satellite manufacturer, with third-party launches on the launch provider's manifest and "civil unrest at the launch site" in March. It said the ITU decided ViaSat-2 launch delays were due to unforeseeable conditions that resulted in an extension of when the satellite network needed to be brought into use. The company said some of the 17 gateways should be brought into service by mid-2018, but others likely will require up to a year.