Satellite operators have long struggled to maintain continuous connectivity and custody of low Earth orbit (LEO) spacecraft. Communication between a LEO satellite and its ground stations is restricted to brief, periodic intervals throughout the day. An onboard IDRS terminal, connected through Viasat’s geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) L-band network, is designed to keep owners in contact with their assets around the clock, for up to 99% of every orbit, all with latency of under two seconds. This changes what mission operators can achieve, with continuous access enabling:

• tasking a satellite the moment a requirement emerges rather than at the next scheduled window
• downlinking time-critical data while it is still time critical, and
• diagnosing and responding to an anomaly in real time instead of waiting hours to investigate what went wrong in space

Under the agreement, announced at SmallSat 2026, Viasat will take the lead role in U.S. Government and U.S. Government supplier market opportunities, where IDRS can be delivered as part of a trusted U.S. government-facing solution. Viasat will integrate Addvalue’s IDRS terminals and services into the Viasat HaloNet portfolio as a single, U.S.-delivered offering.

The arrangement is designed to simplify procurement and support for government customers, allowing them to receive terminals, airtime, integration, and mission support through Viasat, a proven and trusted U.S. government supplier and managed services provider.

IDRS is in commercial service today with Earth observation operators, smallsat constellation operators, and in-orbit servicing and space logistics providers: missions where responsiveness, not just capacity, determines operational value.