ViaSat-1 is a high-throughput communications satellite owned by Viasat, Inc. and satellite operator Telesat Canada. The satellite held the Guiness record for the world’s highest capacity communications satellite with a total capacity in excess of 140 Gbit/s, more than all the satellites covering North America combined, at the time of its launch.

ViaSat-1 is capable of two-way communications with small dish antennas at higher speeds and a lower cost-per-bit than any satellite before. The satellite is positioned at 115.1° West longitude geostationary orbit point, with 72 Ka-band spot beams; 63 over the U.S. (Eastern and Western states, Alaska and Hawaii), and nine over Canada.

The Canadian beams are owned byTelesat and are used for the Xplornet broadband service to consumers in rural Canada. The US beams provide fast Internet access called Exede, ViaSat’s satellite Internet service.

The ViaSat-1 satellite is part of a new satellite system architecture created by ViaSat Inc. The objective is to create a better satellite broadband user experience, making satellite competitive with DSL and wireless broadband alternatives for the first time

The satellite had a lift-off mass of 3,650kgs and was launched on October 19th, 2011 on a Proton M rocket operated by launch operator ILS from the Baikonour Cosmodrome launch site in Kazachstan.