Viasat launches Maxwell spacecraft for NASA relay demo

Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT) launched its Maxwell spacecraft on October 20, 2026, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as part of SpaceX's Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission. The launch advances Viasat's demonstration mission for NASA's Communications Services Project (CSP).

The Maxwell spacecraft, built by Rocket Lab Corporation (NASDAQ: RKLB) at its Long Beach, California facility, will support on-orbit testing and demonstrations over five months through March 2027. The testing falls under Viasat's Defense and Advanced Technologies segment.

The mission is part of two CSP contract awards totaling $81 million. Viasat's Ka- and L-band space relay services are intended to provide low-Earth orbit (LEO) operators with real-time, low-latency communications. The demonstrations will also include direct-to-ground communications through Viasat's Real-Time Earth Ground-Station-as-a-Service for S-, X-, and Ka-bands.

The Maxwell spacecraft carries a Ka-band terminal designed to access the ViaSat-3 satellite network and an L-band terminal to connect with Viasat's global L-band network. Rocket Lab also provided an L-band radio to support relay demonstrations of telemetry, tracking, and command applications.

This is Viasat's second NASA CSP demonstration mission. The first involved a launch telemetry relay demonstration during a Blue Origin New Glenn launch in November 2025.

The mission supports NASA's transition away from its Tracking and Data Relay Satellite fleet, according to the company's press release statement.

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