Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT) has selected Blue Origin as the firm’s launch mission partner to support Viasat’s demonstration of its InRange launch telemetry relay service as part of its work with NASA’s Communications Services Project (CSP).
Viasat’s Space and Mission Systems team, part of the company’s Defense and Advanced Technologies (DAT) segment, will work with Blue Origin across two future launches to integrate the user terminal and InRange solution on the New Glenn launch vehicle to showcase this innovative space-based launch communications capability. Blue Origin successfully launched the first New Glenn rocket on January 16, 2025.
By demonstrating the InRange launch service capability with Blue Origin, Viasat will support NASA’s aim to transition orbital communication users from NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) system to commercial SATCOM solutions. NASA announced in November 2024 that no new missions will be onboarded to use TDRS services, which means launch providers will need a commercial SATCOM-based launch telemetry solution.
TDRS has long provided launch communications support for U.S. government, commercial sector and other global national space agency missions. Providers globally are now seeking alternative commercial telemetry relay services for their launch missions. In alignment with this, Viasat is also partnering with the NASA Launch Services Program (LSP) team, which has been responsible for collecting TDRS relayed data for launch vehicles and sharing it with launch operators.
InRange is designed to provide a constant relay connection to the ground through Viasat’s network, enabling real-time data transmission during launch to support mission operations. The technology uses Viasat’s global L-band satellite network to provide real-time telemetry data for launch missions, enabling launch mission controllers to maintain communications and monitor the performance of their vehicles beyond-line-of-sight and avoid reliance on ground communications, which can experience communication “blackouts” when the launch vehicle moves into an area not covered by Earth-based connections.
Viasat’s first New Glenn launch will be the initial InRange flight test of these services and is currently anticipated to launch this year. This is also expected be the first in-flight demonstration of Viasat’s data-relay services being developed under the NASA CSP program, which include a portfolio of multi-band space-relay communications services that support LEO missions and constellation operations. The second mission, which will be a full InRange service demonstration, is currently planned for 2026.