After a successful launch on June 1, our new satellite ViaSat-2 is sailing through space toward geostationary orbit. While the tricky work of injecting the satellite into its final orbital slot has just begun, now is a great time to take a deep breath and appreciate the machine we’ve just shot into the sky.
Here are some key stats that show just how large, complex, and cool ViaSat-2 really is.
- 40 months – design and build time to complete ViaSat-2
- $624 million – total cost to build ViaSat-2
- 15+ years – intended lifespan of satellite
- 23 miles – Amount of electrical wiring aboard the satellite
- 14,149 pounds – launch mass of ViaSat-2
- 158 feet – wingspan of ViaSat-2, including solar arrays
- 8 kW – Solar array power generated
- 300 Gbit/s – total data throughput of ViaSat-2
- 22,236 miles – ViaSat-2’s orbital distance above the Equator
- 69.9 degrees west longitude – ViaSat-2’s orbital slot location
- 4 – number of satellites Viasat currently has in space, including WildBlue1, Anik-F2, ViaSat-1 and ViaSat-2