Viasat moves to scale UAV satcom with Galaxy 1 partnership
Viasat moves to scale UAV satcom with Galaxy 1 partnership
This strategic alliance stitches Viasat’s dedicated drone connectivity stack, Velaris, to Galaxy 1’s managed distribution layer, labeled DPaaS. The arrangement centralizes provisioning, billing orchestration, and compliance telemetry under a single operational umbrella designed for Beyond-Visual-Line-of-Sight operations and Advanced Air Mobility. By coupling platform APIs with operator-facing lifecycle tools, the partners aim to collapse integration timelines that traditionally block commercial scaling. The move signals a pivot from point sales toward platform-enabled channel growth for satcom in controlled airspace.
Galaxy 1 contributes platforms for terminal management and telemetry — notably RTM and IBIS — that deliver real-time visibility and compliance reporting to operators and regulators. Martyn Durrant, chief commercial officer at Galaxy 1, framed the partnership as a mechanism to accelerate partner onboarding and make operational governance repeatable; Mr. Durrant described managed services as the lever that converts trials into repeatable deployments. Joel Klooster, senior vice president for aircraft operations and safety at Viasat, characterized the deal as aligning a resilient satcom service with a partner ecosystem that can execute integration at scale; Mr. Klooster emphasized operational reliability and ecosystem reach. These capabilities address specific regulator expectations for lifecycle observability and audit-ready telemetry tied to BVLOS approvals.
For the market, the agreement reduces a key barrier for service providers and enterprise UAV operators: systems integration effort across flight planning, tracking, and safety toolchains. The combination of API orchestration and managed commercial plumbing creates a repeatable commercial path from prototype flights to certified operations, which should lower friction for new entrants and incumbents alike. Expect the partnership to accelerate channel-led distribution of satcom services into AAM corridors and enterprise drone fleets, shifting competitive pressure onto providers that lack integrated provisioning or compliance toolsets. In short, this is a tactical expansion of Viasat’s go-to-market using Galaxy 1’s operational fabric to convert connectivity capability into deployable services.
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