Inside Viasat's mission control center

From space to screen: Inside Viasat's mission control center

08-18-2025

3-minute read

Summary

Viasat's London NOC serves as the nerve center for managing our satellite networks across aviation, maritime, and government sectors.
The NOC enables life-saving communications including maritime distress alerts, emergency rescues, air traffic control, and battlefield intelligence.
Built with redundancy and global reach, the NOC can instantly reroute bandwidth based on demand and is built to scale seamlessly with our growing network capabilities.

Twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year, Viasat engineers and technicians perform system checks and manage our satellite communications networks to make sure that Viasat is operating at full capacity and ready to take corrective action to provide uninterrupted service for our customers. It’s part of our commitment to providing quality experience for our customers so they can maximize the value of their connectivity investment in Viasat.

Our team's role is to actively monitor and optimize the network to direct beams, so customers get the connectivity they need and when they need - from a single person using a device, or just a vehicle travelling in a remote part of the world.

John Fretwell, Senior Manager Network Operations Centre, Viasat

How does the NOC work?

From the NOC, our team monitors and manages connection through three key components that work together seamlessly.

Global ground network

Viasat's NOC connects to a worldwide network of Satellite Access Stations (SAS) - these strategically placed ground stations communicate directly with our satellites and route traffic based on capacity and demand.

Redundant connectivity

Each satellite can connect with two or more ground stations and maintain seamless service even during maintenance or outages. By having multiple connection points, the team can instantly reroute traffic if one ground station goes offline, add capacity to high-traffic areas, and provide uninterrupted service in mission-critical environments.

Expert operations

Our NOC is staffed with a multidisciplinary team of software engineers who maintain and evolve the control systems, data analysts who monitor performance trends, and flight dynamics experts who oversee satellite stability and positioning.

Connecting across air, land, and sea

Based at our international headquarters in London, the NOC serves as the "nerve center" for managing our legacy Inmarsat satellite networks, which span across critical sectors, including, but not limited to:

Aviation

Our 24-hour connectivity enables critical safety communications with air traffic control, real-time engine diagnostics, weather updates, and telemedicine support. This connectivity also reduces congestion through optimized flight paths, improving efficiency and environmental impact and of course, also provides in-flight Wi-Fi for our airline customers’ passengers.

Maritime

The NOC enables instant distress alerts and emergency response, providing critical safety communications when lives are at stake. The same network facilitates real-time navigation that prevents collisions, supports preventive maintenance, optimizes transport routes, and helps crews navigate around severe weather. Beyond emergency response and operational efficiency, this connectivity supports crew welfare by keeping seafarers connected with loved ones during long voyages.

Government

Our connectivity delivers critical battlefield intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) that keeps warfighters safe and mission ready. Our secure network provides full situational awareness of strategic assets while maintaining robust cybersecurity protection against threats.

Providing critical safety services

When disaster strikes – from a natural disaster, medical emergency or potential transport collisions– our customers know that they can rely on our connectivity. We have been a trusted partner for reliable connectivity, especially in the maritime industry.

Viasat is an industry-leading satellite-based safety voice and data provider in the aviation industry. Our technology is in use with more than 200 major airlines, jet operators and government agencies, and onboard over 12,000 aircraft. We process over 50 million position reports annually.

Classic Aero is the trusted choice for cockpit safety services for over 30 years, used by more than 90% of the world’s transoceanic aircraft for communication and surveillance today.

Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat company, was set up in 1979 by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to provide reliable satellite safety communications. As well as being the first satellite operator for Global Maritime Distress and Safety (GMDSS), Inmarsat Maritime was also the first satellite operator to meet the stringent requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for global safety communications. Since then, our services have been keeping seafarers safe at sea every day through vital ship-to-shore and shore-to-ship distress alerts.

Real-world rescue

In the pitch-black darkness of the unforgiving Atlantic Ocean, two adults, a young child, a baby, and a dog found themselves clinging for survival on a life raft. When the distress call was sent through one of our IsatPhone 2 satphones, the NOC called the family on their IsatPhone and told them not to use it to conserve power, the NOC was then on hand to quickly pinpoint the life raft’s location over a 28-hour period and guide rescuers to save them.

When the family were successfully rescued unharmed, there were a lot of emotions and cheers from the NOC staff that day.

Combating illegal fishing

In the remote Southern Ocean, whales are being protected by conservation organization Sea Shepard Global. The NOC manages the connectivity needed to track illegal fishing vessels in real time and quickly adopt tactics to catch poachers in the act. Sea Shepherd believes that without quickly relaying evidence to authorities and the public, they couldn't effect positive change.

Supporting sustainable scalloping

Ava Ocean is an ocean technology and seafood company pioneering new ways of harvesting scallops, in an effective and sustainable manner. Their approach relies on our reliable, high-speed network coverage operated by the NOC to enable real-time decision-making. The result: sustainable scallop harvesting that preserves vital marine ecosystems while maintaining commercial viability for the seafood industry.

Designed for the future

While the London NOC serves as a global hub, it's part of a wider operations network including the Network Control Centre in Burum (NCC), Satellite Operations Centers (SOCs), a Cyber Security Operations Center (CSOC), and regional NOCs. Together, these form a unified system designed to provide reliable connectivity to our customers worldwide while also built to scale with our ever-expanding network.

With every satellite launch and new partnership, we deliver enhanced coverage, capacity, and connectivity. Whether coordinating emergency rescues, enabling in-flight streaming, or securing national security, our operations network provides is there to provide customers with the critical connectivity they need.