European Space Agency (ESA) and Viasat Partner on D2D

January 28, 2025

ESA Director General, Dr Josef Aschbacher and Viasat Chairman and CEO, Mark Dankberg met at the European Space Conference in Brussels to agree to work together to accelerate the development and deployment of Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) LEO Direct-to-Device (D2D) systems in Europe and across the world.

Mark Dankberg, Chairman and CEO of Viasat, Inc and Laurent Jaffart, ESA’s Director of Connectivity and Secure Communications

The agreement is expected to lead to Viasat, supported by European-based partners, submitting a formal Partnership Project under ESA’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES 4.0) programme for the detailed design and procurement of an Open Architecture LEO network, capable of providing 5G non-terrestrial network services directly to handheld devices.

“We are fully committed to the development of D2D space capabilities that are based on 3GPP and other relevant open standards, combining existing GEO assets with a new LEO satellite constellation that meets the needs of users in Europe and across the world,” said Mark Dankberg, Chairman and CEO of Viasat, Inc. “We will be deploying our expertise alongside a host of European partner companies in this important work. We believe that this is a further step toward ensuring that space remains open and accessible to all.”

“By developing Direct-to-Device technologies, we are positioning Europe to capitalise and gain share in a highly competitive market. Through the preparation of a partnership with Viasat, ESA is paving the way for our Member States to have industry-leading access to autonomous, seamless and resilient connectivity solutions that drive our technological competitiveness on the global stage,” said Josef Aschbacher, ESA’s Director General.