CARLSBAD, Calif., Jun 09, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- ViaSat Inc.(NASDAQ:VSAT) CEO and Chairman Mark Dankberg has been named the recipient of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Aerospace International Communications Award for 2008. The award recognizes outstanding contributions in the field of aerospace communications, and this year singled out Mr. Dankberg "for shepherding ViaSat into a leading satellite communications company through outstanding leadership and technical expertise." The award has a rich history of recognizing the accomplishments of pioneers in the satellite and communications field.

"I'm honored to receive this award from AIAA," said Mr. Dankberg. "It's a reflection of the hard work, creativity and contributions that all of our employees have made to ViaSat and the aerospace industry as a whole. We thrive on innovation and especially appreciate being recognized in this way by the AIAA."

Mr. Dankberg is a co-founder of ViaSat and has served as Chairman and CEO since inception. ViaSat has a history of more than 20 years in technology leadership and innovation in the satellite and aerospace industry. The company has played a principal role in developing several key technologies:

-- Demand Assigned Multiple Access networking standards, network management, and subscriber terminals

-- Software defined radios and modems; anti-jam tactical data links

-- High Assurance Internet Protocol Encryption (HAIPE) standards and equipment

-- Dynamic Bandwidth Resource Allocation

-- Internet Router In Space on-board modem processing

-- Application of spread spectrum Ku-band to broadband for aviation, maritime, and land mobile services

-- Ground Based Beam Forming (GBBF) for Mobile Satellite Services

-- Development of new open standards for defense satellite & terrestrial communication systems at UHF, L, X, Ku and Ka-bands

-- Creating the network, system, modem, and RF technology needed to open the Ka-band to mass market two-way communication services.

Now ViaSat is working with partners Loral Space and Communications, Telesat, and Eutelsat to develop space and ground technology that can transform the satellite industry's ability to deliver cost-effective broadband services. Its ViaSat-1 satellite will host payloads serving the U.S. and Canada and deliver over 100 Gbps of two-way broadband connectivity. ViaSat is also developing next generation ground networking equipment that will serve North American and European markets with unprecedented consumer-priced access speeds and bandwidth volumes. Together, the space and ground systems provide more than an order of magnitude in improvement in data throughput compared to current state-of-the-art satellites.

Mr. Dankberg will receive the award during the June 11, 2008 awards luncheon in conjunction with the 26th AIAA International Communications Satellite Systems Conference (ICSSC) at the Marriott Hotel and Marina in San Diego California.

Headquartered in suburban Washington, DC, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) (www.aiaa.org) serves over 35,000 members in 65 regional sections and 79 countries. AIAA membership is drawn from all levels of industry, academia, private research organizations, and government and focuses on emerging technologies in aviation, space and defense. For information on the AIAA Honors and Awards Program, contact Carol Stewart at 703/564-7623.

About ViaSat

ViaSat produces innovative satellite and other digital communication products that enable fast, secure, and efficient communications to any location. The company provides networking products and managed network services for enterprise IP applications; is a key supplier of network-centric military communications and encryption technologies to the U.S. government; and is the primary technology partner for gateway and customer-premises equipment for consumer and mobile satellite broadband services. The company has five subsidiaries: US Monolithics, Efficient Channel Coding, Enerdyne Technologies, Intelligent Compression Technologies and JAST. These companies design and produce complementary products such as monolithic microwave integrated circuits, DVB-S2 satellite communication components, video data link systems, data acceleration and compression products, and mobile satellite antenna systems. ViaSat has locations in Carlsbad, CA, and Duluth, GA, along with its Comsat Laboratories division in Germantown, MD. Additional field offices are located in Boston, MA, Baltimore, MD, Washington DC, Australia, China, India, Italy, and Spain.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are entitled to the protection of the safe harbor contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections about the industries in which ViaSat operates and the beliefs and assumptions of ViaSat. In this press release, these forward-looking statements include, among others, statements regarding the performance of the ViaSat-1 satellite; and the anticipated benefits of the satellite project. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are only predictions and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Accordingly, actual results could differ materially from those expressed in or contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to, the ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the ViaSat-1 satellite; pricing pressures and actions taken by competitors; satellite failures or degradations in satellite performance; difficulties in obtaining regulatory approvals; and unexpected expenses related to the project described herein. In addition, please refer to the risk factors contained in ViaSat's SEC filings available at www.sec.gov, including without limitation, ViaSat's annual reports on Form 10-K and ViaSat's quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. ViaSat undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements for any reason.

Comsat Labs and Comsat Laboratories are tradenames of ViaSat, Inc. Neither Comsat Labs nor Comsat Laboratories is affiliated with COMSAT Corporation. "Comsat" is a registered trademark of COMSAT Corporation. All additional products are trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE: ViaSat Inc.

for ViaSat Inc.
Brainerd Communicators
Joe LoBello, 212-986-6667
lobello@braincomm.com
or
Scott Cianciulli, 212-986-6667
cianciulli@braincomm.com

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