Viasat Expands Its Ground Footprint with Astralintu to Unlock Equatorial Advantage

The global race to secure faster, more resilient satellite data access just moved closer to the equator.

Viasat Inc., a global SATCOM leader, has been selected by Astralintu to deliver two advanced S/X/Ka-band full-motion ground antennas in Ecuador, marking a strategic step toward building the world’s first dedicated Equatorial Ground Station Network.

This is more than an infrastructure deal. It’s a structural upgrade to the global ground segment.

Closing a Critical Coverage Gap

The two antennas, scheduled to be operational before the end of 2026, will be deployed at 0° latitude in Ecuador. This location directly addresses a persistent ground segment coverage gap across:

• The Southern Caribbean

• South America

• The Eastern Pacific

For satellite operators, especially those operating in LEO and multi-orbit architectures, equatorial positioning is not optional, it is performance-critical.

By expanding coverage through Viasat’s Real-Time Earth (RTE) Ground Segment-as-a-Service (GSaaS) network, the new installation will deliver high-speed, multi-gigabit downlink capabilities optimized for:

• Earth observation constellations

• Scientific missions

• Environmental monitoring

• Regional security operations

The result: lower latency access to satellite imagery and data for commercial and government customers alike.

Integrating with the Real-Time Earth Network

Viasat’s Antenna Systems team, operating under its Defense and Advanced Technologies (DAT) segment, will deliver the advanced full-motion systems.

Astralintu will not only gain antenna hardware but immediate integration into Viasat’s global RTE network, which already includes an equatorial presence in Accra, Ghana.

This dual-site equatorial footprint strengthens network redundancy and improves revisit opportunities, two decisive factors in today’s intelligence-driven satellite economy.

Notably, Viasat remains the only antenna manufacturer offering a global GSaaS capability alongside hardware production. That combination enables partners like Astralintu to:

• Accelerate time-to-revenue

• Plug directly into an established customer base

• Generate recurring service revenue from day one

As Kent Leka, VP and GM of Antenna Systems at Viasat, noted, the company’s integrated ground segment model enables customers to monetize infrastructure through RTE’s existing network rapidly.

Why the Equator Matters Now

The ground segment market is entering a new phase.

With the rapid expansion of LEO constellations and hybrid multi-orbit systems, demand for globally distributed ground access is accelerating. Industry projections estimate the ground station services market could reach $500 million within five years.

Equatorial sites are strategically valuable because they:

• Provide optimal orbital pass access

• Increase data throughput opportunities

• Reduce congestion at higher-latitude facilities

• Enhance real-time mission support

For governments across Latin America and adjacent maritime zones, the Ecuador site offers expanded support for regional security and environmental protection missions, domains where timely satellite data increasingly defines operational effectiveness.

A Structural Play for Long-Term Recurring Revenue

For Viasat, this collaboration reinforces its position as an end-to-end ground segment partner, bridging antenna manufacturing and managed ground network services.

For Astralintu, the partnership accelerates deployment of its Equatorial Ground Station Network vision while unlocking the performance advantages of equatorial access for both existing and future customers.

As Matías F. Campos Abad, CEO and Founder of Astralintu, emphasized, the partnership leverages proven antenna technology and global ground services to accelerate equatorial GSaaS delivery.

In a market where orbital assets are scaling rapidly, the constraint is no longer space; it’s ground access.

And the equator is becoming the next strategic frontier.