Press release
UK Moonlight Team Expands: Viasat Selects Space Experts to Join European Space Agency Moon Mission Program
Viasat is working with Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL) and MDA Space UK to develop proposals for a satellite ‘data highway’ around the moon by 2030LONDON,
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[{"type":"text","content":"Viasat is working with Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL) and MDA Space UK to develop proposals for a satellite ‘data highway’ around the moon by 2030LONDON, July 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Viasat, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), a global leader in satellite communications, today announced it is working with leaders in the UK space ecosystem, SSTL and MDA Space, to develop designs and proposals for a lunar orbiting communications satellite system around the Moon. Moonlight is the European Space Agency's (ESA) program to develop a lunar orbiting Navigation and Communication system that will greatly enhance combined navigation and communications services for European and international missions both on the surface of the Moon and in lunar orbit. The Moonlight communications system, targeting initial capability by 2028 and full operations by 2030, will act as a data highway on and around the Moon, and between Earth and the Moon. People, spacecraft, and lunar vehicles could then access the data highway to simplify and speed up communications between each other and back to Earth. This would help support a future ‘lunar economy’ with more frequent and longer scientific and human missions, space tourism, and even manufacturing programs leveraging rare materials found on the lunar surface. Viasat, working with Moonlight program lead Telespazio, is responsible for the design and development of the communication network, the definition of the end-to-end communications service, the communication space infrastructure, earth ground infrastructure, and the communication lunar surface user terminals. Working with the UK Space Agency - a major Moonlight contributor - Viasat is also leading the UK space ecosystem to deliver the required lunar communications capabilities. Now part of the program, SSTL and MDA Space UK will help develop designs and proposals for a range of advanced technologies, infrastructure, and network requirements needed to establish the future Moonlight satellite system that meets service, schedule and business case requirements. Yasrine Ibnyahya, Vice President of Innovation, Viasat, said: “Moonlight is among the most exciting and ambitious projects being undertaken right now and will support future generations of space exploration. Our participation builds on our heritage of providing commercial satellite services and delivering hig...