10-06-2026
Turning successful demonstrations into routine operations that regulators trust; operators can scale, and communities can depend on. That transition will not be determined by aircraft performance alone. It will depend on whether every vehicle can remain continuously and securely connected throughout the mission.
For an aircraft operating within a visual line of sight, a nearby pilot and local communications may be sufficient. Operating beyond visual line of sight changes that equation.
Autonomous aircraft may cross open water, remote countryside, mountainous terrain or long infrastructure corridors where cellular coverage is intermittent or absent. But the operator still needs a dependable link for command and control, aircraft health data, and timely information about the operating environment and payload. A communications gap is therefore not simply an inconvenience; it can become a constraint on safety, certification and the commercial viability of the mission.
This is where satellite connectivity becomes essential. As regulators and operators look beyond demonstration flights, resilient communications are becoming a prerequisite for scalable BVLOS operations.
Aircraft taking off during recent beyond-visual line of sight (BVLOS) testing in the UK, enabled by Viasat
Through Velaris, Viasat is helping establish that communications foundation, extending communication beyond the practical limits of terrestrial networks and helping operators maintain oversight across long distances and difficult terrain. It can also support the exchange of operational data with wider airspace systems, creating a clearer and more consistent picture of a flight as it unfolds.
Built on Viasat’s existing aviation safety L-band safety service, which has been trusted by crewed aviation for over 30 years, Velaris is designed specifically for uncrewed and emerging aircraft, using a resilient satellite link to support real-time command and control, provide detect-and-avoid capabilities, and ensure seamless integration with air traffic and uncrewed traffic management systems.
Viasat's I-6 F1 satellite, featuring both L-band and Ka-band payloads, is one of the most sophisticated commercial communications satellites ever to be launched
The benefit of L-band is then best understood in operational rather than technical terms. Its characteristics make it well suited to reliable, wide-area communications, including at low altitude and in challenging weather. Because the signal is less susceptible to rain fade and is available across a broad geographic footprint, it can provide the reliable connection needed for safety-related data even where ground infrastructure is sparse. That reliability draws on more than three decades of aviation safety experience.
Currently, Viasat L-band safety services support communications for Future Air Navigation Systems (FANS) and oceanic operations, and air traffic management. For regulators and operators considering autonomous aviation, this heritage matters as it offers a foundation for the next generation of flight. Importantly, this is not a new communications model being developed specifically for drones. It builds upon technologies and operational principles already trusted across commercial aviation, providing a familiar foundation for regulatory confidence.
Connectivity alone, however, is not enough. BVLOS is a system-of-systems challenge. The satellite network, aircraft, terminal, avionics, software, video, sensors, ground control and airspace-management services must work together as one operational capability. That is why collaboration across the aviation ecosystem is so important.
Viasat is already working with airlines, aircraft developers, communications specialists, software providers, and certification experts to test integrated solutions against real-world requirements. And the direction is clear; the sector is moving from proving that a drone can connect by satellite to proving that an integrated platform can operate safely, consistently and repeatably.
That distinction is central to certification. A successful demonstration provides evidence, but it is not the finish line. Regulators need confidence in how the complete system behaves in normal operations, during handovers between networks and when a component is degraded or unavailable. Operators need clear procedures, predictable performance, and equipment that can be integrated into an airworthy architecture.
Recent work across the Velaris ecosystem reflects this shift from technical feasibility towards certified, deployable capability, bringing connectivity and avionics integration forward together rather than treating certification as a final-stage exercise.
Partnership also helps build a body of practical evidence across regions and use cases. The regulatory route for BVLOS will not be identical in every market, but the underlying questions are consistent: Can the link be trusted? Is performance understood? Are responsibilities clear? Can the platform operate safely alongside other airspace users? By addressing these questions collectively, technology providers and operators can reduce duplication, give regulators better evidence, and create repeatable pathways from trial to deployment.
Marek Rakowski, Senior Manager, AAM/UAV Business Development at Viasat
The prize is not autonomy for its own sake. Reliable BVLOS operations can make useful services available in places where distance, geography or damaged infrastructure make conventional transport slow, expensive or impossible. In healthcare, connected drones can help move time-sensitive medicines, samples, or diagnostic materials. In logistics, they can extend supply chains to isolated sites. In emergency response, they can support situational awareness or urgent delivery when roads and local networks are disrupted. For utilities and infrastructure owners, they can make long-distance inspections more efficient while reducing the need to place people in hazardous environments.
Each application has different payloads, risks and economics, but all depend on the same foundation: a resilient link that remains available beyond cellular coverage and gives operators the information needed to manage the mission.
Viasat recently participated in a successful live demonstration, in partnership with Gotonomi and Videosoft Global, of its L-band connectivity capabilities.
As the market develops, the most effective communications architecture will often be multi-link, combining the strengths of terrestrial and satellite networks so that data can travel over the path best suited to the task. For safety-critical command and control, L-band provides a backbone; other links can add capacity for applications like video.
This layered approach is important because no single technology should be expected to solve every communications need. What matters is engineering for continuity, appropriate performance, and safe degradation from the outset. Satellite connectivity should therefore be considered early in aircraft, and operational design not added later as a coverage fix. Doing so allows equipment, procedures, cybersecurity, and certification evidence to develop together.
The next phase of autonomous aviation will be determined by how safely aircraft continue to operate beyond the network edge, and whether operators can deliver safe, certifiable, and economically viable services at scale. Achieving that goal requires more than capable aircraft. It requires communications infrastructure that regulators can trust, operators can depend upon, and communities can rely upon.
As the industry moves beyond trials towards routine operations, resilient satellite connectivity is becoming part of the safety architecture itself. The organizations that recognize this early and design around it will be best positioned to accelerate certification, build operational confidence and unlock the full potential of BVLOS aviation.